1. Start with the veggies and mushrooms. Clean the mushrooms well and remove dry parts. Half or quarter larger mushrooms, small ones can stay whole. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Clean the celery and the carrot and cut them into fine cubes. Cut the leek into rings, rinse well to get out the last grain of sand between the layers and drain. Cut the meat, if necessary, into bite-sized pieces and pat dry with a piece of kitchen paper. Get all the ingredients ready next to the stove.

2. In a large cast-iron pot (or any other pot with a lid that can go in the oven) heat up some olive oil. Add the meat and sear nicely on all sides – this takes about 4-5 minutes. Remove the browned meat from the pot and set aside. Add butter to the pot and let melt. Add the mushrooms and sauté them for a few minutes until nicely browned – this can take 10 minutes or more. The mushrooms will release a fair amount of liquid at first. As soon as that liquid has cooked off, and the mushrooms have collapsed and browned nicely, you can remove them from the pot.

3. If necessary, add a bit more oil to the pot and sauté the onions and garlic until soft and glossy. Add the celery, carrot, and leek and cook for about 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).

4. Return the browned meat and mushrooms to the pot and mix in. Deglaze the mixture with the wine. Let it boil down a bit, then add the veggie broth, the chunky tomatoes, oregano, thyme, herbs de Provence, and the bay leaf. Season well with salt and pepper.

5. Cover the pot with the lid and let everything cook/simmer in the preheated oven for about 90 minutes, then add the drained white beans and let the stew cook for another 30 minutes. The stew should have thickened and bubbling nicely. If the sauce still seems too thin, thicken it with a little flour. Serve the stew with polenta, mashed potatoes, pasta, or rice – whatever you like the most.