Beef Cacciatore

• 2 1/2 to 3 pounds beef top, bottom round or trimmed chuck, cut into 2- to 3-inch cubes
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• About 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 ribs celery with leafy tops, sliced on a bias into 1-inch pieces
• 2 large onions, chopped into 1-inch dice
• 2 mild frying peppers, red or green, seeded and cut into 1-inch slices
• 1 cup good quality, dried Porcini mushrooms, coarsely broken up
• 4 large cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1 rounded teaspoon sugar or a fat drizzle Acacia honey
• Herb bundle of rosemary, sage and parsley
• 2 cups red wine
• 2 cups chicken or beef stock
• 1 28-ounce can crushed or diced tomatoes

Bring meat to room temp and season with salt and pepper. Set a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325°F.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high to high heat. Add olive oil, to coat bottom lightly. Brown meat all over in 2 batches and remove.

Add a little more olive oil to the pan and reduce heat to medium-high. Add celery, onions, peppers, mushrooms, garlic, fennel seeds, chili flakes, sugar or honey, herb bundle and salt, and cook to soften 7-8 minutes. Add wine and reduce by half. Add stock and tomatoes, and bring to boil. Add reserved meat back to the pan and cover. Transfer to oven and cook 2-2 1/2 hours until meat is tender.

Remove herb bundle and serve with bread, Garlicky Mashed Potatoes or polenta alongside.