BY MONICA KASS ROGERS THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND
I don’t know about you, but when I’m on deadline, food prep goes out the window (but my appetite stays). One way to stave off junk-food snacking temptations and give myself a warming reward at the end of the day, is to get this so-easy (but so-good!) meal into the oven first thing. The oven does all the work. Bonus? Because the price of oxtails and short ribs that I formerly used for such as dish has gone through the roof, I make this with still-very-affordable beef neck bones.
INGREDIENTS
• 4 pounds meaty beef neck bones
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
• 3 onions, peeled, halved and cut into half-moon slices
• 1 Tbsp. thyme leaves, crushed
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1, 32-ounce box beef stock OR chicken stock
• 1 can Italian plum tomatoes, broken up
• 1 to 2 cups dry red wine
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
METHOD
Preheat oven to 400 degrees with oven rack in center position. Rub the meat and bones with salt and pepper. Break up and scatter half of the onions in a Dutch oven or deep roasting pan. Arrange meat over onions. Scatter the rest of the onions over the meat. Roast meat for ó hour. Remove pan from oven; reduce heat to 325 degrees. Scatter thyme, minced garlic, and bay leaf over meat. Pour beef stock, tomatoes with their liquid, and red wine over all. Sprinkle everything with the 1/2 cup of flour. Place pan back in oven and roast for 2 hours until the flour has browned. Whisk flour into the liquid; flip each meaty beef bone over. Roast stew for another hour or until the meat is falling off of the bones and the liquid has thickened into a beautiful gravy. To serve, remove bones and bay leaf, spoon stew over rice or mashed potatoes, or serve with crusty bread for dipping.
