Italian Beef for $3.38 per person

Serious Flavor, Great Value

Certain cuts of meat can be so satisfying and really cheap to buy.

In Italy there’s a whole cuisine defined by this called “cucina povera”, essentially… poverty food.

The irony is that some of the most beloved Italian dishes have come from this cuisine which proves that cooking that doesnt have to be expensive to be delicious.

Oxtails, for example, used to be discarded but over the decades chefs caught on to this and made delicious dishes so now if you try and buy in the store they’re over $12 for mostly bone and cartilege because oxtails are now popular.

Today I’m sharing a recipe that is soul-satisfyingly delicious and also adding some extra info about Craken Spices and Seasonings at the end of the recipe.

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Italian-Style Beef Neck Bones

Neck bones are loaded with collagen which then turns to gelatin when cooked properly… leaving you with an insanely tender piece of meat.

Neck bones are also still cheap. $2.79/lb last I looked.

Use 1lb/person and this entire meal costs less than $3.50 per person 😂 insane value and maximum flavor.

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Ingredients (for 3)

1/2-3/4 cup EVOO

3lb neck bones

Sea salt and cracked pepper to season neck bones

2 medium yellow onions

2 carrots, peeled and clised 1/2-1 inch thick

5 cloves garlic, minced or micro-planed

12 sprigs fresh thyme

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp Pepe Spice Blend (or more to taste if you want more peppery flavor)

1 TB Carne Seasoning

2 cups water

1 chicken bouillon cube

1/2 (small) can tomato paste 

1/2 cup red wine

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1. Use a large Dutch Oven and heat over medium high.

2. Meanwhile Salt and pepper the neck bones liberally, and sear in generous amounts of olive oil working in batches until golden brown then remove .

3. In same pan add 2 TB olive oil and cook onions 5-7 minutes, scraping up any fodn left from searing the neck bones (that’s all pure flavor!); add carrots

4. Add the garlic and tomato paste; cook another 5 minutes stirring often to avoid burn. Add red wine and reduce for 45 seconds.

5. Add 2 cups water and stock cube. Bring to boil. Add bones, thyme, Carne, and Pepe. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat

6. Cover and place in 350 oven for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Meat should almost fall off bone and be meltingly tender. Check after 1 hour adding 1/2-1 cups additional water if it has cooked down a lot. 

7. Serve with mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or pasta. 

8. Finish by placing a generous amount chopped Italian flat leaf parsley on top, and Parmesan if desired.

   

   

   

ENJOY!!!!

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As you know, in late November I launched my own spice and seasoning blends after many requests had been made over the years.

These blends are 100% original and unique. I previously published a recipe using a few of the blends and a few people asked for substitutions. I gave some off the cuff… then went back and tried and was very disappointed.

These spice and seasoning blends I’ve created have no equal counterparts on the market. The 2K (Asian seasoning blend) has over 13 ingredients and there’s nothing like it on the market.. trying to substitute this for a chili pepper powder, etc is just going to fall extremely flat.

So moving forward, I will be publishing recipes using Craken Spices and Seasonings for free.

I hope you will try the seasonings because they are a huge timesaver and also you need a much lower quantity because the spices are so fresh.

Feel free to adlib on your own but going forward any free recipes using the Craken Spices & Seasonings will not have substitution recommendations…. because there are no substitutes 😂 the recipe was made specifically for the blends highlighted.

Appreciate your understanding and support!

Next up is Chinese New Year, Dumplings and a bunch of Pasta and an updated recommended EVOO list! 😉