Big oven-braised beef stew

Put a big deep roasting pan in the oven and turn on the broiler (or the oven full blast) to get it very hot.

Trim the thick bands of intermuscular fat and gristle out of the chuck, separating the muscles along the seams; keep the fine intramuscular fat. Cut into huge chunks; boneless short ribs need no cutting.

Season the beef with salt and pepper, conservatively, and coat lightly in oil.

Dump the meat into the hot pan in an even single layer and brown under the broiler about 10 minutes, not longer, so the inside stays pink.

Stir in enough flour to coat the meat, about half a cup, and brown it under the broiler about 5 minutes.

Squeeze on tomato paste and brown about 3 minutes; turn the broiler off.

Add red wine a third of the way up the meat, then water or stock to two-thirds of the way up; add Worcestershire (or another umami source) and stir.

Cover tightly with foil and braise at 275F (135C) for at least four hours, until almost as soft as wanted.

Meanwhile cut the carrots (peeled or not) and celery into big pieces at an angle, and smash and peel the garlic cloves.

When the beef pokes easily with a fork, gently pat in the vegetables and frozen pearl onions without breaking the beef; cover and return to the oven for an hour or two until the veg is tender.

Bloom the gelatin in just enough cold water to dissolve it.

Taste the sauce and adjust: plenty of pepper, more salt (the sauce should be a little too salty on its own), and a little balsamic vinegar.

Dot the bloomed gelatin over in dollops and fold gently with a big spatula rather than stirring, so the soft beef does not shred.

To serve, broil the stew again to reheat and brown the top, about 15 minutes, watching that nothing burns; let it cool to eating temperature so the sauce thickens.

Serve over the mash with extra sauce, scattered with celery leaves or other fresh herbs.