Italian Beef Stew

How to make it

1. Pat the beef cubes completely dry with paper towels and toss them in the flour with a couple of generous pinches of salt and freshly ground pepper. Each cube should have a thin, dry coating of flour, since it's the flour that will later thicken the sauce.
   Chef's tip A wet surface steams instead of searing, and damp flour turns to paste that slides off in the pan. The cubes should look matte and floury, not tacky — flour them just before the meat hits the oil.
2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over high heat and brown the cubes in two batches, 8 minutes total. The meat should have a deep brown crust all the way around and release from the bottom on its own. Transfer each batch to a plate as the cubes finish browning.
   Chef's tip Crowding drops the pan temperature and the meat releases water instead of browning. Leave a finger's gap between cubes, and don't move them until they let go of the pot on their own — sticking means the crust isn't set yet.
3. Turn the heat down to medium and sauté the onion, carrot, and celery in the same pot for 8 minutes. The vegetables should turn soft and glossy without taking on color, since browned edges here will give the whole pot a bitter base.
   Chef's tip Give the vegetables a pinch of salt right away. The salt draws the moisture out of the onion, so it steams itself soft instead of taking on color, and that same moisture loosens the browned fond left by the meat.
4. Stir the tomato paste into the vegetables and toast it for 2 minutes, until the color shifts from bright red to dark brick red and the sharp, tangy smell is gone.
   Chef's tip Toasting drives off tomato paste's raw sharpness and deepens it. Watch the colour go from bright red to brick and keep it moving — paste is sugary and scorches fast, turning bitter in seconds.
5. Pour in the red wine and immediately scrape the bottom of the pot clean with a wooden spoon while it bubbles. Let the wine cook down for 3 minutes, until the sharp smell of alcohol has disappeared and only a thick, syrupy liquid remains.
6. Return the browned meat to the pot along with any juices that have collected on the plate. Add the passata, beef stock, rosemary sprigs, and bay leaves, and bring everything to a boil for 3 minutes. Season the liquid with salt already at this point, so the salt has time to work into the meat throughout the simmering.
7. Cover with a lid, turn the heat down to the lowest simmer where only the occasional bubble breaks the surface, and let the pot cook for 90 minutes. The meat is ready when a fork slides in without resistance and the fibers begin to pull apart. ⏱ 1 h 30 min · passive
   Chef's tip Tough cuts need long, gentle heat to convert their connective tissue to gelatin; a rolling boil squeezes the muscle fibres dry before that happens. Aim for a surface that shivers with an occasional bubble, not a steady churn.
8. Add the potato pieces to the simmering sauce, set the lid slightly ajar, and let the pot keep cooking for 30 minutes. The potatoes should be tender all the way through, and the sauce should have reduced enough that it clings to the meat as a thick, glossy coating. ⏱ 30 min · passive
9. Fish out the rosemary sprigs and bay leaves and discard them. Season the sauce with salt and freshly ground pepper, until it tastes round and sweet rather than sharp from the tomato.
10. Ladle the spezzatino into deep bowls straight from the pot, so each serving gets meat, potatoes, and plenty of sauce. Serve it piping hot.