Season and brown the beef

• Pat the cubed chuck roast and short rib dry and season with the kosher salt and black pepper.
• Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the beef in batches, without crowding.
• Transfer the browned beef to a bowl and set aside.

Brown the mushrooms and aromatics

• Brown the sliced mushrooms in the same pot, 4–5 min.
• Add the diced onion and red bell pepper and cook 4–5 min.
• Add the minced garlic and grated ginger and cook 1 min.

Build the base with tomato paste and wine

• Stir in the tomato paste, turmeric and smoked paprika and cook 1–2 min.
• Pour in the red wine, scrape up the browned bits and reduce 2–3 min.

Braise the beef

• Return the beef to the pot with the beef stock and thyme sprigs.
• Cover and gently simmer until the beef is tender, 1½–2 hrs.

Add sweet potato and lentils

• Remove the thyme sprigs.
• Add the cubed sweet potato and rinsed red lentils.
• Simmer uncovered until tender, 20–25 min, adding more stock if needed.

Stir in miso and chocolate

• Whisk the white miso with a ladle of hot broth, then stir it into the stew.
• Add the dark chocolate and stir until melted.

Wilt the spinach and finish with lemon

• Add the baby spinach and stir until wilted.
• Turn off the heat, add the lemon juice and season to taste.

Serve

• Ladle the stew into bowls.
• Top with roasted pumpkin seeds, chopped parsley, a drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon.