Stuffed Spareribs

From Cook's Country | February/March 2014

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
We’re used to barbecuing ribs here in the test kitchen, but in some circles, stuffing them like a Thanksgiving turkey is just as popular. We chose St. Louis spareribs for their more manageable size and kept the flavors simple with a rub of salt, pepper, and brown sugar. As for the stuffing,… read more

SERVES 6 TO 8

Try to buy racks of ribs of equal size for this recipe, and make sure they’re St. Louis–style. If any stuffing falls onto the baking sheet as you tie the racks together or flip them during cooking, stuff the filling back inside the bundle.

INGREDIENTS

10 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1-inch pieces
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 cup pitted prunes, chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground fennel
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 (2 1/2- to 3-pound) racks St. Louis-style spareribs, trimmed and membrane removed

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325°. Pulse half of bread, 1 tablespoon butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in food processor until finely ground, 10 to 15 pulses. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with remaining bread, 1 tablespoon butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and add to sheet. Bake crumbs until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring halfway through baking. Transfer to large bowl; set aside.

2. Meanwhile, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add apples, onion, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook until apples are soft and onion is translucent, 7 to 10 minutes. Add prunes, sage, garlic, and fennel and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir apple mixture into bread crumbs until well combined.

3. Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Combine sugar, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 tablespoon pepper in bowl. Pat ribs dry with paper towels and rub all over with sugar mixture. Lay five 20-inch-long pieces of kitchen twine about 3 inches apart crosswise on prepared sheet. Lay 1 rib rack, meat side down, across twine. Place stuffing mixture on top of rack and pack to uniform thickness. Place remaining rib rack, meat side up, on top of stuffing, arranging wider end of rack over tapered end of bottom rack to sandwich stuffing. Tie racks together and trim excess twine.

4. Roast ribs until tender and well browned, about 3 hours, flipping bundle halfway through roasting. Transfer ribs to carving board and let rest for 15 minutes. Cut ribs between bones, creating individual stuffed rib portions; discard twine. (Alternatively, discard twine and remove top rack of ribs. Transfer stuffing to platter. Cut ribs in between bones to separate and transfer to platter with stuffing.) Serve.

STUFFED SPARERIBS? REALLY?

It sounds like an awkward operation, but our technique makes it easy:

1. We use two racks of St. Louis–style spareribs, with bone sides facing each other.
2. Racks are positioned wide end to tapered end.
3. Bread and fruit stuffing is sandwiched between racks.
4. Pieces of twine are placed about 3 inches apart and tied securely.

Spanish Rice

INGREDIENTS

• sweet yellow onions
• rice
• corn oil (or olive oil)
• water
• salt
• ketchup

PREPARATION

• Fry/toast the rice in the oil until browned…
• Mix 2tbs ketchup per 2 cups water…
• Add water to rice…
• set onion wedges on top of rice…
• Cover and cook for 12 minutes or until rice is cooked…

Strawberry Avocado Pico De Gallo

A refreshing combination of sweetness and tanginess, this pico de gallo is perfect with tortilla chips, tacos, quesadillas or even a giant spoon!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 California Avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced
• 1 cup diced strawberries
• 1/3 cup diced mango
• 1/2 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 teaspoon honey, or more to taste
• Juice of 1 lime
• Kosher salt, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a large bowl, combine avocado, strawberries, mango, jalapeño, onion, cilantro, honey, lime juice and salt, to taste.
• Serve immediately.

Tomato Soup

3 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
3 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves
2 Tbs. Unsalted butter
1 onion minced
1 Tbs. Light brown sugar
1 Tbs. Tomato paste
Salt
2 Tbs. Flour
1/2 cup heavy cream
Pinch of cayenne

1. Heat broth mixture:  drain tomatoes, reserving juice.  Add broth to
reserved tomato juice to measure 5 cups (add water if necessary).
Bring broth mixture and bay leaves to a boil, covered, in large
saucepan and set aside.
2. Sauté tomato mixture: meanwhile, melt butter in large Dutch oven
over high heat.  Add drained tomatoes, onion, brown sugar, tomato
paste , and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Cook until tomatoes are dry and beginning
to brown, 11-13 minutes.  Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
3. Purée, finish, and season: purée soup in batches in blender (I use
our immersion blender right in the pot) until smooth.  Return soup to
pot and stir in cream and sherry.  Return to brief summer and then
remove from heat.  Season with salt and cayenne to taste.

Red Cabbage Salad

•       2 tablespoons butter
• 5 cups shredded red cabbage
• 1 cup sliced green apples
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons water

• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• PREP
  20 mins
• COOK
  1 hr 30 mins
• READY IN
  1 hr 50 mins

Directions

1. Place butter, cabbage, apples, and sugar into a large pot. Pour in the vinegar and water, and season with salt, pepper, and clove.
2. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until the cabbage is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Fajita Marinade

Juice of 1 lime
2 tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 c fresh cilantro

From Simply Recipes

Potato Soup

6-8 potatoes, peeled
2 small onions, chopped
1-2 carrots, chopped
1 stalk celery
3 cubes chicken boullion
1 tbs parsley flakes
5 c water
1 tbs salt
pepper to taste
1/4 c margarine
1 (13 oz) can evaporated milk

Cut potatoes into bite-size pieces. Put all in crock pot except milk.  Cover and cook on high 3-4 hours or low 10-12 hours.  Stir in milk during last hour.  Thicken with corn starch or flour to your preference.


From Kelly Johannessen
12/2012