spare ribs – Cooking from Books

Posted on September 11, 2018September 10, 2018 by Tablewine · 2 Comments

Spare Ribs with Caramelized Onions

Mention “spare ribs” and probably the last type of cuisine with which you’d associate them would be Italian. However if, like me, you’re of Italian-American heritage, one of the first associations may be with a long cooked Sunday pasta sauce together with meatballs and/or sausage. In fact, I’ve posted a recipe for my Neapolitan aunt’s version of them on this blog.

When I recently picked up some baby back ribs on sale at the market, my thoughts went to a recipe for them from way back by Marcella Hazan. Having lost many of my cookbooks to Super Storm Sandy, I did an internet search and was able to find the specific recipe I had been thinking of. It came from one of her later books in 2004 Marcella Says… and was adapted for The Times by Amanda Hesser. (Note: The recipe in this link is part of a review of Marcella’s book and includes an interesting profile of the author.)

Like many of Marcella’s recipes, it uses a modicum of ingredients, yet yields deep intense flavors that celebrate what Italians call “la prima materia,” the fundamental ingredients. After browning, the ribs are simmered with an abundance of thinly sliced onions and a generous dose of crushed red-pepper flakes for around three hours. During this time, onions caramelize and the ribs reach the perfect fall-off-the-bone texture. The spice of the red pepper serves as the perfect foil for the sweetness of the onions.

I served the ribs garnished with fresh sage along with a side of smooth polenta and a Chianti Classico.

Two points about this recipe I should mention: (1) Don’t skimp on the chili pepper. Although a 3/4 tablespoon may sound like a lot, it’s really necessary to balance the sweetness of the onions. (2) Keep in mind that this recipe requires about 3 1/2 hours. I somehow overlooked this requirement, and we wound up having a very late-night supper.

Spare Ribs With Caramelized Onions

Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 pounds baby-back ribs, split into pairs
½ cup dry white wine
2 very large onions, sliced very thin, about 6 cups
Fine sea salt
½ to 1 chopped chili pepper or 3/4 tablespoon dried red chili pepper

Preparation
1. Split the ribs into pairs.

2. Pour the olive oil into a 12-inch sauté pan, turn the heat to high, and when the oil is hot, slip in the meat. Turn the ribs two or three times to brown them well. If the pan is crowded, do a batch at at time, then return them all to the pan.

3. Pour in the wine and turn the ribs once or twice while the wine bubbles completely away.

4. Add the sliced onions, salt and chili pepper, cover the pan and turn the heat down to low.

5. Cook for 2 to 3 hours, turning the ribs occasionally, until the meaty part of the ribs feels very tender and the onions have cooked down to a creamy consistency.

Wine Pairing: Chianti Classico, Alsatian Pinot Gris

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Tablewine · 3 Comments

Italian Spare Ribs

Because of Labor Day, racks of pork ribs were plentiful in the supermarket this weekend and thus found their way into our kitchen. Of course, bottles of BBQ sauce were also on display, which I guess suggested the way most of these ribs would be cooked.

Now, I’ve been lucky enough to travel throughout the United States and to have had the chance to sample some of the best BBQ ribs. And during these travels, I have heard the merits of dry vs. wet, sweet vs. hot, oak vs. cherry, and so on debated by my hosts and their friends in the south and midwest.

With one or two exceptions, all the ribs I tasted were extraordinarily good, with those in Greenville, South Carolina taking the prize. None of them, however, came close to the ribs I had growing up, which my aunt would occasionally make for Sunday dinner. Coming from Italy, she knew nothing about BBQ, but her ribs were without a doubt the most succulent I’ve ever had. Simmered slowly for hours in a simple tomato sauce, they were almost always served with a large cut of dry pasta, tubular in shape, known as occhio di lupo, wolf’s eye.

So last night, I decided to recreate this dish, but not being able to find occhio di lupo, I substituted the more widely available rigatoni. I also opted to serve the pasta with the same cheeses my aunt would use, namely, pecorino Romano and ricotta salata.

Ingredients
3 pounds pork spare ribs cut into 2-inch pieces. (I had the butcher saw the ribs lengthwise through the racks and then I cut them into double-rib pieces. See the picture above.)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced fine
2 28-ounce cans Italian crushed tomatoes
1 large clump of basil (about 6 leaves)
2 to 3 cups hot water
1 pound rigatoni
1/2 cup pecorino Romano
1/4 cup ricotta salata

Directions
Season the ribs with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed dutch oven over medium heat. Brown the ribs well on both sides, not over-crowding the pot. Work in batches if necessary. This will take about 10 minutes per batch.

After they are browned, transfer the ribs to a platter lined with paper towels.

Drain the fat from the pot, reserving 4 to 5 tablespoons. Add the onions to the reserved fat, sprinkle with a little salt, and brown them until they are soft and nicely browned. About 10 minutes. As the onions are browning, scrape up most of the brown bits sticking to the bottom of the pot.

A minute or two before the onions are done, add the garlic. Cook for about a minute, watchong the pot closely to ensure that the garlic does not burn.

Add the crushed tomatoes and basil, again scraping any remaining brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Adjust for seasoning.

With the tomatoes amd basil — With the tomatoes and basil

When the tomatoes start to boil, add the ribs. Press the ribs down so they are covered with the sauce.

When the sauce returns to a boil, reduce the flame to low and simmer for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the ribs are tender, stirring occasionally. If the sauce reduces too much, add some of the hot water so that the ribs remain covered.

When the ribs are done, cook the pasta in abundant, well salted water. Cook the pasta until a minute before the al dente stage.

IMG_5466sm — Separating the sauce and the ribs

Meanwhile, remove the basil from the sauce and transfer about 2 to 3 cups of the sauce to a large skillet. When the pasta is done, using a spider, transfer the pasta to the skillet and toss with the sauce over a low flame. Sprinkle with some of the two cheeses and cook for about a minute or until the pasta is done.

Serve the pasta along with ribs accompanied by the two cheeses for individual sprinkling.

Serves 6.

Wine Pairing: Sangiovese

Posted on June 21, 2014 by Tablewine

Barbecued Baby Back Ribs

For us, Friday often means “Margarita Madness.” Consequently, frozen margaritas dictate the menu, which often means something other than Italian and, more than likely, something along the lines of grilled meat, Tex-Mex or, as we enjoyed last night, barbecue.

I wanted pork ribs with meat falling off the bones, which meant either slow-cooking or pressure-cooking. Given my schedule, I opted for the latter. One of my go-to books for pressure cooking is Pressure Cooker Perfectionfrom America’s Test Kitchen, which is where I found a great recipe for Barbecued Baby Back Ribs.

When I went to the butcher, he was actually butchering a pig. He said he could only provide me with a small rack of baby backs so I opted for standard pork spare ribs to have enough for our party.

One gripe I have with the book I used is their highlighting the pressure cooking time in the recipe, which was 30 minutes. It leads one to believe that it’s a 30-minute recipe, when in fact it’s more like a 60 minute one. Lesson learned, at least for now: READ THE ENTIRE RECIPE BEFORE STARTING TO COOK!

When I cook, I like to have all the prep completed. I’ve therefore modified the book recipe to follow my style of cooking.

This recipe yielded some of the most mouth-watering ribs I’ve ever had, with a sauce that was the perfect balance of sweet, spicy, and savory. Neither the generous dry nor and the ketchup-molasses sauce overpowered the succulence of these local sourced ribs.

Unbuttered corn on the cob was the side.

Barbecued Baby Back Ribs Adapted from Pressure Cooker Perfection

Ingredients
3 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons chili powder
Salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 (1 1/2-to 2-pound) racks baby back ribs, cut into 2-rib sections
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1. Prepare Dry Rub: Combine paprika, sugar, chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons pepper, and cayenne, then rub mixture evenly over ribs.

2. Prepare Sauce: Combine ketchup, water, molasses, vinegar, and mustard. Measure out and reserve 1 cup sauce.

3. Heat oil in pressure-cooker pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the sauce, except for the reserved cup, and stir.

4. Arrange ribs upright in pot with meaty sides facing outward, then pour reserved sauce over ribs.

5. Lock pressure-cooker lid in place and bring to high pressure over medium-high heat. As soon as pot reaches high pressure, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 30 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain high pressure.

6. Remove pot from heat and allow pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes. Quick release any remaining pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.

ribscookedsmall — Ribs right after cooking

7. Adjust over rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler. Place wire rack inside aluminum foil-lined rimmed backing sheet and spray with vegetable oil spray. Transfer ribs, meaty side up, to prepared baking sheet. Using large spoon, skim excess fat from surface of sauce. Bring sauce to simmer and cook until thickened and measures 2 cups, about 10 minutes. Brush ribs with some of the sauce, then broil until browned and sticky, 10 to 15 minutes, flipping and brushing with additional sauce every few minutes. Serve ribs with remaining sauce.

ribsglazedsmall — Ribs sauced before going under the broiler

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