Greek style beef stew

Cut the chuck roast into about two-inch cubes, all roughly the same size so they cook evenly.

Season very generously with black pepper and kosher salt at about a teaspoon per pound, toss thoroughly, and refrigerate until needed.

Prepare the shallots whole: cut the top off and make two more cuts about a quarter inch down without cutting the root end, then pull the first layer off all the way down to the root.

Brown the beef in two batches in a couple tablespoons of Greek olive oil in a very heavy duty pan over high heat, roughly four to five minutes a side, to a dark deep brown crust, leaving a good fond on the bottom.

Turn off the heat, add another tablespoon of olive oil and the whole shallots, let the pan cool a couple of minutes, then put the heat back on medium and toss the shallots until they take colour.

Add another splash of olive oil and saute the diced onions and finely minced garlic with a big pinch of salt for about a minute, without browning the garlic.

Add the tomato paste and toast it on the bottom of the pan about two minutes.

Deglaze with red wine vinegar and white wine, scraping the bottom clean, and raise the heat to medium-high to reduce the liquid by about half.

Stir in white sugar to balance the acidity, plus cinnamon, allspice, a small pinch of ground clove, dried oregano, a couple of bay leaves and a couple of sprigs of rosemary.

Return the browned meat and the whole shallots and toss everything together carefully.

Add a couple of cups of beef or chicken broth, stir, and bring back to a simmer.

Reduce to a gentle simmer, cover and cook one hour, then uncover and cook about another hour, or until it is exactly right.

Stir occasionally, moving pieces from the outside in, monitor the liquid level and add a splash of broth or water if it gets too thick and dry, and skim a little fat off the top if wanted.

It is done when a fork slides easily into the meat but the meat has not started to fall apart on its own; taste and adjust the salt.

Optionally cool it and refrigerate overnight, since a stew is always better the next day.

Serve with bread, topped with crumbled feta, a few sliced pickled red onions and freshly chopped parsley, dill or mint.