NECKS

Neck bones. Lamb, beef, pork. They are all excellent. Pork neck bones are the least expensive. Ten dollars will secure enough to feed a full table and then some. Stew them in stock, or water, or beer. Onions, carrots, peppercorns. Six hours 'til the meat slips from its bone. The meat is slick, fatty, full of the flavors of meat and blood. Life, for all intents and purposes. Of course the only thing one should do with a taste this strong is dress it minimally.

Green vegetable. A vinaigrette. Some garlic. A few peppercorns. The cooking liquid. Easy. I made a pungent Colman's vinaigrette, tossed some watercress. Added the garlic from the braise. The mustard cuts the fattiness of the bones. The greens give a good vegetal crunch. Smack any cook more haircut than technique who's willing and able to go into some exegesis about how this is Yin to Yang, or vice versa.