Category Archives: Recipes

Ribs for Super Bowl weekend

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rib service 2010

I don’t care about the Super Bowl but I care about ribs.

Ribs tend to be on sale now, so it’s a good time to pick them up.  I found spare ribs (cut from the bottom portion of the ribs and breast bone) for less than $2 a pound the other day, but you had to buy two large, whole racks.  OK, not really a problem for four people who might look for leftovers at night.  I know baby backs (cut from the top of the ribs) are all the rage, but I prefer the more succulent spare ribs, with their layer of meat below where the bacon (belly) was removed.

This morning I found myself with two racks, each about 6 1/2 pounds, and decided to slow-roast them whole, mopped with a thin, Eastern Carolina-type sauce.  I’m sure purists in that area would frown upon all the things I add to the cider vinegar, but I remain true to their “no tomato products” rule, at least.  These ribs have a little zip but are mild.  They’re good for people who don’t want the seasoning to overpower the taste of the pork.  I also give you here my famous (at least in this house!) tamarind cabbage slaw.  This slaw goes well with these ribs because it echoes a couple of the same ingredients.  Note that it’s a dry slaw.

Spare Ribs with Piquant Seasoning
Makes two large racks
Make sauce the day before, if possible

For ribs:
2 whole racks spare ribs
Kosher salt

For the sauce:
Make extra if you want some to serve with the ribs
1 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup water
Juice of 1 large orange + pulp
3 tbsp. tamarind concentrate or syrup (UNSWEETENED) (buy in Asian markets)
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tbsp. chocolate syrup
1 tsp. Sriracha sauce (buy in Asian markets, or use Tabasco)
1/2 tsp. instant coffee
3 tbsp. raw or light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground thyme
1/4 tsp. ground rosemary
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1).  Make sauce by combining all sauce ingredients well in medium saucepan and boiling, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
2).  Allow sauce to cool to room temperature.  If made the day before, allow it to come to room temperature.
3).  Prepare ribs.  For each:  dry off,  remove the membrane from rib side, sprinkle with salt on both sides and set on foil-covered sheet pan.  Let sit while you prep the oven.
4).  Prepare the oven.  Set your oven racks so one is two from the top and the other is two below that.  You want to avoid the top slot as well as the bottom, if your slabs overlap the sheets pans.  If they do, line the bottom oven rack with foil.
5).  Taking 1/3 of the cooled sauce, mop it over both sides of the ribs, leaving the meaty side up.
6).  Allow ribs to sit on counter until they come close to room temperature, but no more than 45 minutes.
7).  Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. and put ribs in.
8).  Mop both sides of ribs with sauce every 45 minutes or so.  For the last mopping, move the ribs to racks set into your sheet pans (not a must, but the ribs will be dryer if you do this), making sure that the meaty side is up when you’re done.  If you run out of sauce for the last mopping, use pan juices.  My racks took a total of 3 hours, but your cooking time may vary.  They’re done when the thickest part comes easily off the bones.  Use good food safety practices here.  I used a pastry brush and washed it with soap after each mopping.
9).  Allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving.  Cut individual ribs evenly between the bones, or create little racks.

Note:  If you have the time and space, prep and mop ribs the night before with 1/3 of the sauce.  Wrap tightly in layers of plastic and refrigerate overnight.  Forgo the first mopping when you make the recipe; just let them sit for 45 minutes on the counter before you put them in the oven.

Tamarind Cabbage Slaw

2 pounds shredded cabbage (a little carrot in there is fine)
1/2 cup good mayonnaise
Just under 1/2 cup tamarind concentrate or syrup (UNSWEETENED) (buy in Asian markets)
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. ground white pepper
1 tsp. Kosher salt

1).  Whisk all except cabbage in large bowl.
2).  Fold cabbage in with spatula.
3).  Leave on counter for 30 minutes, mixing every 10 mins. or so.  It will seem really, really dry until the cabbage gives off some liquid and deflates.
4).  Cover and move to fridge until ready to serve, and mix right before serving.

If your ribs overlap your pans, set this up

If your ribs overlap your pans, set this up

Rack of spare ribs set up on sheet pan

Rack of spare ribs set up on sheet pan

Ribs done and fully rested

Ribs done and fully rested

Tamarind cabbage slaw when first put together

Tamarind cabbage slaw when first put together

Tamarind slaw 30 minutes later

Tamarind cabbage slaw 30 minutes later

Ribs and slaw serving suggestion

Ribs and slaw serving suggestion

Berry bored waiting for something to happen with the ribs

Berry bored waiting for something to happen with the ribs

Garlic bread

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Buttery & really garlicky garlic bread

Buttery & really garlicky garlic bread

My son, Matthew, loves garlic bread.  I developed this recipe to make up for the fact that most oven-ready loaves from the supermarket don’t have much zing.  Even many restaurant versions don’t have enough garlic and can be dry.

He likes it with a little life left and plenty garlicky, so I don’t toast the bread before adding the spread and use both fresh and powdered garlic.

Give it a try – making adjustments to your liking.

Buttery & Really Garlicky Garlic Bread
Makes 8 pieces

4 long sourdough rolls (i.e., Acme; La Brea Bakery from Costco; nothing texturally skimpy)
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/4 cup melted butter, unsalted
2 tablespoons dried parsley (you can use fresh, if you like)
2 teaspoons garlic powder (NOT garlic salt!)
3 tablespoons pulverized* garlic
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1).  Slice rolls lengthwise and set aside
2).  Whisk together all ingrediants except pepper
3).  Apply spread to rolls liberally with pastry brush, allowing some to soak into crevasses
4).  Place rolls on sheet pan and set on middle rack of oven
5).  Set oven to broil, checking often to make sure tops do not burn, until rolls are to your liking.  You can use very high heat and convection rather than “broil,” if you prefer
6).  When done, grind a little black pepper on top and serve right away

* use a mortar & pestle -or- chop finely, add a little salt and smash/press down on your board with the side of a chef’s knife and grind into paste

You can use a food processor or blender for the spread, but do stir the parsley into the spread by hand.

Tom Kha Tuna

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tom kha tuna 2010

I had quite a few frozen albacore tuna steaks in my freezer that I needed to use up, which is the only reason I would use such a protein for this dish – let’s get that straight up front.  Why?  If you overcook fresh tuna, you may as well use canned, and it would be very easy to overcook it in this dish.  Albacore and ahi steaks are best seared and served on the rare side.  However, if you find yourself with some that have been hanging around in the freezer till their drop-dead usage date and you want to cook them through, you may want to try this recipe.  If not, use another kind of meaty, white-fleshed fish, shrimp, scallops, or chicken.

This recipe uses tom kha paste. Even people who spend way too much time dealing with food don’t always want to grind lemongrass and galangal, so Thai curry pastes are a Godsend.  That said, tom kha pastes tend to have too much salt and lack the brightness you’d have in a homemade version.  To get around that, we add a few fresh ingredients to amp it back up.  Generally speaking, this problem is less pronounced with other pastes, like panang, green and masuman, to name a few, than it is with the tom kha, which I always need to doctor up.

This is usually offered as soup in Thai restaurants, i.e., Tom Kha Gai (chicken), but I serve it with rice as a full meal.
This recipe will provide dinner to 6 – 8 people if you make a pot of jasmine rice to go with it.  Serve in large bowls and then mound rice on one side.

Tom Kha Whatever-you-like 

2 – 14 oz. cans coconut milk
28 oz chicken stock
1/4 cup tom kha paste (buy in Asian markets)
1 stalk lemongrass, peeled of outer leaves, cut into short (2″) sticks, using the bottom 2/3 of stalk only
2 large slices of fresh galangal or standard ginger – no need to peel
6 red bell peppers, in large chunks (they add some smokiness, but feel free to use some green and some red)
3 1/2 lbs. firm, white protein, i.e., chicken, in large cubes
1/8 cup fresh lime juice

1).  In wok or large cooking vessel and over medium heat, whisk coconut milk, stock (fill each empty coconut milk can with stock to measure) and tom kha paste until blended.
2).  Add lemongrass and galangal.
3).  Bring to boil and add the peppers.
4).  Bring to simmer and cook for 2 minutes.
5).  Bring to boil over high heat and add protein, stir in, bring to simmer, lower heat and cook until protein is just done.  If using something like albacore, this would be only a couple of minutes.  For chicken or shrimp, generally no more than 4 or 5 minutes.  Depends also on the size of your cuts.
6).  Turn off heat and stir in lime juice.
7).  Taste and add a little more lime juice, if needed.
8).  Ladle into bowls.  A couple of scallion curls on top would be nice, or cilantro sprigs.

Pork loin & bacon fat-sauteed cabbage sammies

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bacon slaw & pork sammie 1-24-10

Bacon Slaw and Pork Sammie

I have some leftover mustard-encrusted pork loin roast from the day before last, and I just saw 3/4 of a head 0f cabbage in my vegetable crisper, which makes me happy I saved the bacon fat from the BLTs we had a couple of weeks ago.  I know I have one bagel, one piece of naan and one sub roll, as well as fixings for mustard aioli – if I scrape out the large jar of Best Foods I bought for the holiday season, that is – so that, my friends, means there will be a dinner for three tonight, and I’ll let the boys fight over the bread and take the one that’s left.  Something tells me it’ll be the naan.

Cabbage Sauteed in Bacon Fat

1 Small head green cabbage
1/4 cup rendered bacon fat
1 tablespoon whole mustard seeds
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon turmeric (optional)
Salt & pepper

1).  Cut cabbage in half and remove core by making v-cuts into each half as it sits cut side down on board
2).  Shred cabbage (medium to large shred)
3).  Wash and spin-dry shredded cabbage
4).  Add bacon fat to wok or other deep vessel on medium flame (I often use my trusty Wolfgang Puck electric wok for this)
5).  When oil melts, add mustard seeds
6).  When mustard seeds begin to pop, add cabbage, bay leaves, turmeric and a little salt & pepper (amount of salt depends upon salt content in bacon fat used)
7).  Turn flame to high and stir fry for a few moments
8).  Cover and cook, over medium flame, stirring now and then, until cabbage is at desired consistency.  About 7 minutes is usually good in terms of leaving a little texture intact

This is good served with a non-clashing pork roast, i.e., one that has been rubbed with a paste of Dijon mustard, ground thyme, a little oil and some salt and pepper.  If you serve it on a pork sandwich, make mustard aioli to serve on the side.

Mustard Aioli

1/4 cup of good mayonnaise, like Hellman’s/Best Foods
1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon black (or white) pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt

Whisk everything together, adding more salt and/or pepper, if you like, and allow to sit in fridge for a couple hours to meld.

Scallion guacamole

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Scallion guacamole

Scallion Guacamole

The weather has been crappy so I want to serve something to brighten up the day around here.  Given that I have a number of ripe avocados on hand as well as many limes waiting to be picked, I thought guacamole would fit the bill.

I love any reasonable form of guacamole and often experiment with ingredients, particularly those that can stand in for the cilantro and chilies.  Today I don’t want much heat and would rather amp up the sour element, so I decided to go with scallions and extra lime juice.  Sometimes scallions are skinny and lifeless, but Berkeley Bowl had some great looking, large, crisp scallions the other day, so they will really work well here.  When using scallions, you can also nix the red onion.

One important note it that you should always use fresh lime juice in guacamole.  It makes a difference!

Scallion Guacamole

2 large (or 4 small) ripe Hass avocados (they are ripe when they have a little give when pressed – but not too much)
1 medium tomato (use a decent, ripe tomato!)
4 nice, leafy scallions (aka green onions)
3 tbsp.  fresh lime juice (at least)
3/4 tsp. coarse salt (Kosher is fine)
A few grinds of black pepper

1).  Remove the seeds and pulp from the tomato and give it a rough chop.
2).  Chop scallions into 1/4 inch rounds.
3).  Give your avocado flesh a rough chop. (for help in dealing with getting at the flesh, look here)
4).  Gently combine all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl.
5).  Adjust salt and lime juice to your liking.

Note:  If you are not going to serve right away, add the tomato at the last minute.

This one is especially good with grilled chicken or salmon.