Classic Beef Stew, · 3 servings

Heat the oven to 163 °C with a rack in the lower middle.

Pat the 680 g boneless beef chuck, well marbled dry and season it with the ≈ 6 g salt and ≈ 1 g freshly ground black pepper.

Heat a tablespoon of the ≈ 20 g olive oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Brown the beef in three batches, about 5 min per batch, adding another tablespoon of oil for each batch. Set the browned beef aside on a plate.

Add the ≈ 110 g yellow onion, ≈ 11 g garlic and ≈ 16 g balsamic vinegar to the pot and cook, stirring and scraping up the browned bits, for about 5 min.

Stir in the ≈ 12 g tomato paste and cook for 1 min. Return the beef and its juices, sprinkle over the ≈ 16 g all purpose flour and stir for 1 min to 2 min.

Add the ≈ 235 g dry red wine, ≈ 240 g beef broth, ≈ 235 g water, ≈ 0.1 g bay leaf, ≈ 0.3 g dried thyme and ≈ 3 g sugar. Stir to loosen anything stuck to the bottom and bring to a boil.

Cover the pot, move it to the oven and braise for 2 h.

Stir in the ≈ 145 g carrots and 225 g small white boiling potatoes, such as baby Yukon Golds, cover and return to the oven for about 1 h more.

Fish out the bay leaf, taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve hot with fresh parsley, chopped, to serve, or cool and refrigerate overnight for even better flavour.