CookTeaser

By the time dinner was finished, I could have used a rickshaw to wheel me into bed. It wasn’t overeating it was overcooking. There are very few cuisines of the world that demand as many ingredients. Example: The marinade for the Ribs required 11 ingredients. And that’s only for the preliminary preparation. When it was all said and done, a drive to the Chinese restaurant would have been less exhausting. But I enjoy cooking so it can’t compete with the alternative.

RECIPE

THE MARINADE

2 lb of Pork Country Style Ribs
1/2 C of Hoisin Sauce
1/2 C of Brandy (or rum or bourbon)
1/4 C of Honey
1/3 C of Soy Sauce
2 TB of Sesame Oil
2 TB of Hot Sauce (such as Tabasco)
2 TB of powdered Ginger
1 TB of Garlic smashed (or garlic powder)
1 TB of Five Spice Powder
2 TB of powdered Onion
1/4 C of Char Siu Sauce for the Glaze

METHOD

1. Mix the Marinade ingredients thoroughly in a bowl.

2. Coat the Ribs & Marinate in a Ziplock-type bag for at least 3 hours. Marinate them overnight for a much superior result .

3. Heat the oven to 300°F. Roast the Ribs for no more than 35 minutes. Remove from the oven & paint one side with a coat of the Char Siu Sauce. Return to the oven for 6 or 8 minutes glazed side up.

4. Remove & allow Ribs to rest for 5 minutes. If the butcher hasn’t, (he will upon request), cut the Ribs into individual pieces & prepare to serve.

INGREDIENTS
1-1/2 lbs of Sweet Italian Sausage, pricked all over with a fork
3 TB of EVOO
2 Red Bell Peppers, cut into 1-inch dice
1 medium Red Onion, thinly sliced
1 small Fennel bulb—trimmed, cored and thinly sliced
2 Serrano or Jalapeno Chiles, seeded and thinly sliced crosswise
Salt
3/4 cup of dry Red Wine
1 C freshly grated Pecorino Cheese (3 ounces)

METHOD

1. Light an outdoor grill or a large cast-iron grill pan. Brush the Sausages lightly with oil & grill over a medium-hot fire, turning, until nicely charred & just cooked through, about 15 minutes total. Set aside.

2. Add the 3 TB of EVOO. Add the Peppers, Onion, Fennel & Chiles & cook, stirring occasionally, until the Vegetables are softened, about 15 minutes. Season with Salt. Add the Sausages & Wine to the skillet and simmer until the Wine has reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Remove from the grill & sprinkle half of the Pecorino Cheese over the Sausage & Peppers. Serve, passing the remaining Pecorino at the table

Serves 2

A CookTale

Our kitchen is notorious for wasting perfectly good Mozzarella by ignoring it until it becomes inedible. We see it, buy it and then forget it’s in the fridge. Are we alone, or this a common blunder? So last evening with a newly purchased ball, we planned our meal around it and made sure we enjoyed each and every mouthful. What better way to have dinner on one of the warmest evenings so far this Summer?

INGREDIENTS

Mozzarella Cheese sliced 1/8″ thick
4 Sweet or Hot Italian Sausages
Marinara Sauce (homemade or Rao’s)

METHOD

1. With a sharp instrument such as an ice pick, puncture each of the Sausages.

2. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

3. Ina small sauce pan heat the Marinara sauce.

4. In a skillet, cook the Sausages halfway through, using an internal thermometer to check the temperature. Be sure at this stage not to overcook .

4. Spoon a layer of the sauce in an oven proof casserole. Add the half cooked Sausages. Top with slices of Mozzarella cheese.

5. Oven roast until the cheese melts & the Sausages have been fully cooked. Once again check the internal temperature. Sausages should be quite well cooked, unless they were homemade.

6. Remove from the hot oven & keep warm. A 200 degree oven will hold them for ten minutes or so.

Serves 2 With leftovers

A CookTale

My question is, are they worth the time and effort? Once again it’s one man’s opinion — I say yes, but only occasionally. From the time you begin, to the table, could take as long as 28 hours; that is, if you follow the accepted procedure of overnight dry rubbing, 3-1/2 hours of slow oven cooking, plus another half hour of cooking with the BB sauce slathered on. I readily admit that a bottled BB Sauce was used and I did not refrigerate them overnight, a few hours on the counter was all I could handle. The result were tender ribs, tasty ribs, and the bottled Stubbs BB Sauce was savory enough to satisfy our palates.

INGREDIENTS For the Ribs

1 rack of Baby Back ribs, silver skin & under flap removed
1 tsp of Liquid Smoke

INGREDIENTS For the Dry Rub

Kosher Salt
Granulated Onion
Granulated Garlic
Smoked Sweet Paprika
Black Pepper

METHOD for the Ribs

1. Combine the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl.

2. Sprinkle the dry rub on the Ribs, cover them with foil & refrigerate for as long as you can. A minimum of a few hours are suggested.

3. Heat the oven to 250 degrees F. Remove covering from Ribs. Place on an aluminum foil-lined baking pan or cookie sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 3-1/2 hours.

4. Remove the Ribs from oven. Allow them to rest for 10 minutes, remove foil and drain accumulated liquid. Slather both sides of the ribs with the Stubbs Barbecue Sauce, return to oven & bake, uncovered for another 30 minutes. Separate the Ribs & serve with additional BB Sauce.