Spare ribs are a particularly popular in Chinese and Korean cooking. They are very flavorful. It is a few different methods of preparation include braising, stewing, and sous-vide. Spare ribs may also be barbecued, a popular method that subjects the pork to high heat in a relatively short period of time. One of my favorite ways to prepared the spare ribs is to braised them with red wine. Here is my take on the Braised Spare Ribs.
You Need:
| Spare Ribs | 2 pounds | ||||||||
| Olive Oil | 1/4 cup | ||||||||
| Large Yellow Onion | 1 | ||||||||
| Celery | 2 stalks | ||||||||
| Carrots | 2 | ||||||||
| Garlic | 1 bulb | ||||||||
| Tomato Paste | 2 tbsp. | ||||||||
| Salt and Black Pepper | to taste | ||||||||
| Fresh Thyme | 2 springs | ||||||||
| Beef or Chicken Stock | 1 1/2 quarts | ||||||||
| 750 ml. Red Wine | 1 bottle |
For the Creamy Polenta:
| Polenta | 1 1/3 cups | |||
| Whole Milk | 1 cup | |||
| Water | 1/2 cup | |||
| Butter | 2-4 oz. | |||
| Vermont Cheddar | 1/2 cup | |||
| Salt And Black Pepper | to taste |
For the Mushroom Ragout:
| Mushrooms | 3 cups | |||
| Shallot | 1 | |||
| Olive Oil | 1 tbsp. | |||
| Butter | 2 tbsp. | |||
| Salt and Black Pepper | to taste | |||
| Fresh Parsley | 2 tbsp. | |||
| White wine | 1/3 cup |
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 F or 180 C.
Peel and chopped the onion, chopped the celery and peel and chopped the carrots. Halve the garlic bulb.
Season ribs with salt and pepper.
In a large, heavy bottomed ovenproof pan over high heat, warm the olive oil and brown ribs, in a batches, on all sides. Add the halved garlic bulb while you browning the ribs, it give them such a favor and make the braising sauce delicious. Transfer ribs to a plate and the roasted garlic.
Using the same pan, reduce heat to medium and sauté onions, celery and carrots for 5 minutes and add the garlic bulbs . Pour of excess fat , add the tomato paste and sauté for 30 seconds and then deglaze with red wine, scraping any bits from the bottom of the pan.
Reduce wine for 15 min on low heat or until thick and syrupy in consistency. Return ribs to pan and add the stock and water to cover the ribs. Bring to a boil, cover and braise in the oven for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender and easily separates from the bone. You can refrigerated overnight. If you do so on the next day, removed solidified excess fat and return in oven or on medium heat uncovered. Cook for 15-20 minutes and frequently stir so the ribs stay moist. Remove carefully the ribs and strain the liquid sauce through a fine sift. Using a spoon mashed all the vegetables to make rich and thick sauce. Return sauce to stove and cook the sauce a little bit more for about 3-5 minutes.
For the Creamy Polenta:
Whisk polenta in a mixture of boiling water and milk. Add salt and Black pepper and boil over high heat in a thick-bottomed 2 or 3 quart pan. Slowly add the polenta into the boiling water and milk, whisking while you add it to prevent any lumps from forming. Lower the heat to a very low simmer and add the butter. Continue to whisk the polenta until it starts to thicken. Then cover the pan and let the polenta cook for 25 minutes. Stir occasionally with a wooden spoon so that the polenta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. The polenta should be soft and tender when done. If not, let it cook a little longer. Add the cheese on the end when is ready to serve.
For the Mushroom Ragout:
In a medium size skillet heat up the oil and butter and start sauté the mushrooms. Season with salt and black pepper. When the mushrooms start having this nice golden brown color add the finely chopped shallots and sauté for a minute and then add the chopped garlic. Stir very well and turn the heat down. Don’t let the garlic burn, add the wine and turn the heat so the alcohol evaporates. Cook for 30 seconds and turn to simmer for a 1-2 minutes.
To served the dish on the bottom of a bowl or a plate spoon the polenta, on top add the spare ribs and top with the mushroom ragout. Drizzle some of the sauce from the ribs and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
Enjoy!
Open a nice bottle of Logan Farrell-Cabernet Sauvignon.
Cheers!!!