Silvia Colloca's chuck steak dredged in flour and slow-braised with smoked pancetta, soffritto and bay leaves until the gravy darkens and the potatoes turn velvety. Bitter cavolo nero stirred through at the end for green relief. The Italian beef stew, executed properly.

Spezzatino (from spezzare, to break or cut into pieces) is the broad Italian beef-stew category that varies wildly by region: the Lombard version leans on red wine and root vegetables, the Tuscan adds black olives and tomato, the Sicilian leans into white wine and aromatic herbs. This version sits in the Tuscan-Umbrian middle, with the bitter green cavolo nero pulling it into a classical Florentine register.

The flour dredge before browning is the small technique that builds the gravy from the start. Each piece of chuck dusted in seasoned flour develops a deeper crust during the sear; the flour cooked off in the rendered fat thickens the braising liquid as it reduces; the result is a self-thickening gravy that needs no later cornflour slurry or beurre manie.

Cavolo nero (Tuscan kale, the long-leafed dark variety also called dinosaur kale) is the bitter green that defines the dish. The slight bitterness of the cooked leaves cuts through the richness of the slow-braised beef and the smoked pancetta, providing the brightness that a heavier all-meat dish would lack. Stripped from the central stems, blanched briefly, then stirred through the spezzatino in the last five minutes so the leaves stay tender but cooked. Soft polenta on the side; a glass of Chianti.