Baked dry-rubbed spareribs

I think I had my first pork ribs on the banks of the Danube in Vienna some 15 years ago. I was touring Austria with my parents and my sister, in one of the very rare organized trips we ever took. We had hotel reservations for two weeks all around the country, but our days were unplanned and we visited whatever interested us on our own. No guided tours. But as we crossed the same travelers every evening at the hotel, and sometimes randomly during the day if we happened to be visiting the same attractions, we started building bonds. That evening in Vienna was one of our last before the end of the trip, and we decided to all have dinner together. The 12-or-so of us sat at a long and narrow rectangular table, the kind you see in movies where an idealized Italian family has lunch al fresco on the patio of a beautiful country house in Tuscany. Except that the table was on a river bank, a few yards from water on the majestic Danube. Not bad either. It was a really festive and joyful, warm summer evening. The kind of evenings you remember with nostalgia, I guess, and that brings back so many other memories of stunning Tyrolian landscapes, sumptuous castles and gardens (those of the famous Empress Sisi), beautiful streets and hidden plazas in Vienna, cute villages, music, old stones... Can you tell I miss Europe?

I can't think of ribs without going back to Vienna in thoughts. The power of food on my little mind... If I remember correctly the ribs were served as a whole rack, and must have been barbecued or grilled. The recipe I'm about to give you is more of Southern US inspiration, but if you know how Austrians prepare pork ribs, please share!

This dry rub is an adaptation of Joy of Cooking's Southern Barbecue Dry-Rub recipe. I didn't have all the spices at hand when I tried it the first time, but it turned out really well. I made a few changes the second time around and the ribs tasted even better. So here's my version:

Serves 3–4 people
Preparation: 10 minutes, 12–24 hours in advance
Baking: 1 hour

• 1 rack spareribs (around 3–3.5 lbs)
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp salt
• 1–1 1/2 Tbsp paprika
• 1 Tbsp white peppercorn, crushed in a mortar
• 1 Tbsp cumin seed, also crushed
• 1/2 Tbsp ground Cayenne pepper

The night before (or in the morning):

1. Pour all the ingredients of the dry rub in a 1-gallon freezing bag. Shake well to mix the spices.
2. Insert the sparerib rack in the bag, close, and shake well to cover with spices evenly. Rub the spices into the meat through the plastic bag.
3. Place in the refrigerator overnight (or from morning to evening).

1 hour before dinner:

1. Take the sparerib rack out of the bag and place in a large enough oven-safe dish. Pour the juices and spices left in the bag onto the ribs.
2. Bake for 1 hour at 375ºF (about 190ºC).
3. Cut the rack into individual ribs and serve immediately.

Practical note: the sugary juices that fall on the dish around the ribs will likely burn... This doesn't affect the taste of the meat, which doesn't burn, but it makes it harder to clean the dish. Soaking the dish overnight seems to help a lot in cleaning out the burnt juices.

Lemon chicken with olives, in a tomato sauce, with yellow chard

Two of our closest friends moved to New Zealand last summer for a year and we were fortunate enough to visit them last month. It was so nice to spend some time with them and to discover this beautiful country (our first time south of the Equator!).

To welcome us, our friends prepared an amazing tajine dish* of chicken, green olives and preserved lemons (not exactly a typical Kiwi dish, but rather a nice reminiscence of our friend's childhood in North Africa). I must have had this dish in mind when I pulled ingredients out of the fridge the other night and prepared the chicken dish that follows.

Serves 4

• 4 whole chicken legs
• 1/2 jar (12 oz) strained tomatoes
• about 20 olives
• juice of 2 lemons
• 4 thin slices of pancetta, diced
• 1 cup white wine (Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio)
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved, stem removed
• 1 bunch yellow chard leaves, whole or coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

I like whole (non pitted) kalamata or mixed Greek olives, in bulk (not canned). For chicken, I always go organic since chicken is cheap anyway. Same with lemons.

Marinate the chicken legs in lemon juice for about 1/2 hour or simply until the other ingredients are ready (chard washed, pancetta diced, etc.)

Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottom pan or a cocotte. Add the diced pancetta and let it color for a few minutes. Set aside. Drain excess fat from the pan if necessary.

Drain the chicken legs (keep the marinade). Season the chicken legs with salt and pepper, then add them to the pan. Brown on every side.

Add the strained tomatoes, lemon juice marinade, olives, pancetta, garlic, and white wine. Stir. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 1/2 hour.

Move the chicken legs to one side of the pan then plunge the chard leaves in the tomato sauce. Stir until wilted (2 minutes maximum).

Serve with wild rice or bulghur (cracked wheat).

* Our friends' recipe more authentically Mediterranean than the above week-night "invention", and includes olive oil, onions, garlic, and most importantly ras el hanout (a North African spice blend).

Pork tenderloin and brussel sprouts

So little time and so much to do... On days like these (and they are becoming the norm as I just started a new job—and a new career—after a year of professional soul searching), I turn to my pressure cooker for a healthy, yummy, quickly-cooked meal.

Last night, I prepared dinner as follows.

For 4 small appetites (or 2 big ones)

• 1 pork tenderloin
• 1-2 lbs brussel sprouts
• 2 carrots
  
• 1 onion
• 2 unpeeled garlic cloves
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig thyme
• 4 cloves
• salt and black pepper
• 2 cups white wine (I used some Alsace riesling)
• 1 tbsp coarse sea salt
• 1 tbsp butter
  

1. Peel the onion and nail the cloves in it. Peel the carrots. Cut the base of the brussel sprouts and rinse them. Break 2 cloves of garlic off the head, but don't peel them.
   
2. Bring about 2 quarts of salted water to a boil in a pressure cooker. (I don't know if it really makes any difference but I always use coarse sea salt when boiling/blanching vegetables or when cooking pasta.) Boil the vegetables for 5 minutes.
3. Drain the vegetables. Melt butter in the pressure cooker. Brown the pork tenderloin on all sides for 1 or 2 minutes.
4. Add the pre-cooked vegetables, pour the wine (and optionally 1 cup water). Add the herbs and spices. Close the pressure cooker. Set it to its higher pressure setting (mine has 2).
5. Bring the pressure cooker to full pressure over high heat, then reduce the heat and cook for 8 minutes.
6. Cool under running water to release the pressure. Serve.

Potato gratin with bacon

A beautiful potato dish came out of the oven yesterday night, all steamy an bubbly. We took a few bites, then a few more, and we would have eaten the whole dish if it wasn't for this blog. I wanted to take a picture but there wasn't enough light... Now this cold leftover doesn't look half as nice as the dish did yesterday, but hopefully it gives you an idea... The potatoes literally melted in our mouths. Yum!

Serves 2
(prep time: 10 minutes, cooking time: 1 hour)

• 4 big Yukon gold potatoes
• 4 strips bacon
• 1/2 big yellow onion
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and cut in half
  
• 1 tsp butter
• about 1 cup whole milk
• about 4 oz. (100 g) gruyère cheese
• salt, pepper, nutmeg

1. Peel the potatoes, rinse them and slice them. Dice the bacon. Chop the onion. Place all in a large bowl.
2. Sprinkle with salt, freshly ground black pepper and freshly grated nutmeg. Toss well.
3. Rub a glass or ceramic oven-safe dish with garlic (here's my dish). (Discard what remains of the garlic clove.)
4. Butter the dish, then throw in the potatoes and gently shake the dish from left to right to arrange the potatoes in an even layer.
5. Pour the milk.
6. Bake for about 45 minutes at 360ºF (180ºC).
7. Take out of the oven momentarily and grate gruyère cheese on top. Return to the oven for another 15 minutes or so, checking from time to time until the cheese forms a nice, golden crust.
8. Eat with a side of escarole salad.

Beef with carrots

My great-grandmother–my mom's mom's mom–called it "bœuf mode". It is a traditional French braised beef dish, one that belongs to the so-called "cuisine bourgeoise" ("simple and of good taste", as Larousse puts it). The recipe is so classic it's in the dictionary: "larded beef cooked with onions and carrots".

My mother learned the recipe from her grandmother when she was a teenager. Over the years, she made a few adjustments. For example she started using a different cut of meat after talking to her friend's dad, who was a butcher (the original cut was more fibrous). She cooks the meat in one piece and slices it once cooked, while her grandmother cooked it in cubes. The sauce is not as thick nor as spicy as my mom remembers it from her childhood. Even the name has changed: my mom calls it "bœuf aux carottes" (beef with carrots) rather than "bœuf mode". But one thing remains: it is the family's favorite comfort food. Every morsel of meat, every slice of carrot melts in the mouth. It is absolutely delicious.

Here is how my mom (and I) prepare it:

Serves 6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour (pressure cooker) or 2 hours (regular pot)

• 2-3 lb boneless beef chuck roast¹ ("paleron")
• about 12 carrots (2-3 per person), sliced²
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs thyme, and 3 sprigs parsley, tied together ("bouquet garni")
• 1 vegetable bouillon cube³
• 1-2 cups dry white wine (e.g. Pino Grigio or Chardonnay)
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil (or other mild-flavored oil recommended for high heat)

1. Heat the oil and butter in a pressure cooker ("cocotte minute"). Add the chopped onion and stir for about 2 minutes until translucent.
2. Add the beef roast and brown on all sides.
3. Add the carrots, garlic, herbs, white wine, and bouillon cube. Close the pressure cooker and set it to its higher pressure level (mine has two levels, one for vegetables and one for meats).
4. When the pressure cooker whistles, turn down the heat to medium-low. Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour. (If you are using a regular pot, simmer for 2 hours, lid on.)

You might have some left-over meat. Eat it cold with Dijon mustard.

¹ local, organic, 100% grass-fed beef if you can
² there is this funny controversy in my family about how the carrots should be cut. Some (on my mom's side of the family) swear they should be sliced while others (on my dad's side of the family) prefer them julienned (cut into thin strips). Whoever cooks chooses their favorite carrot shape.
³ my favorite bouillon cube is KUB OR by Maggi but unfortunately it isn't sold in the U.S.

Agretti

Here is one of the wonderful surprises of this week's CSA box. As Andrew Griffin explains in the newsletter, agretti is the Italian cousin of the American West's tumbleweed. It starts out with slender succulent leaves with "a unique marine flavor and toothsome quality". As it matures, agretti becomes, like it's American cousin, a sprawling, dry and prickly shrub, which no-one would eat!

Here is what we did, with the help of the newsletter's recipes and advice:

Serves 2

• 1 bunch agretti, clean (we pulled the leaves from the hard branches and rinsed in cold water twice)
• 4 slices prosciutto
• 1 tbsp olive oil

1. Tear the prosciutto into small pieces and pan fry until crisp. Remove from the pan and reserve.
2. Heat up the olive oil and sauté the agretti until wilted (3 or 4 minutes are enough).
3. Toss the agretti and prosciutto together and serve warm.

It was a little too salty for my taste (the original recipe called for pancetta) but the crunchiness of the agretti was great and the flavors really pleasant.

Recipe: Rocoto relleno (Stuffed hot peppers)

Hot, delicious and very unique. One of the most well known rocoto dishes in Peru is the rocoto relleno. This is a traditional entree from the Andean city of Arequipa, made with rocoto (chili pepper). Besides the meat, it can be stuffed with many another ingredients. As for the ideal stuffing, this beef mix contains beef, pork, onion, garlics, margarine (or butter), cream, peacans and it will be a heaven meal.

Ingredients:


• 7 rocotos with a wide base
• 3/4 cup of red vinegar
• 200 g (1/2 lb) of ground beef
• 100 g (1/4 lb) of ground pork
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce
• 1/2 glass of dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons of cream
• 1/4 cup of ground peacans
• 1/2 cup of beef stock
• 1 tablespoon of aji panca paste
• 6 small potatoes, cooked and peeled
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, ground
• 1/4 cup or margarine or butter
• 1/2 tablespoon of flour
• 3/4 cup of mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons of chopped garlic


Preparation:

The Rocotos (Chili Pepper): In the first place, cut the upper part of 7 rocotos as a lid. It's extremely important to take out all the seeds and to clean it. Cook in water with salt and vinegar. Repeat this process four times.

Prepare the stuffing: Make a seasoning in a frying pan with the margarine, the ground garlics and onion. Once you do this, add the aji panca paste.

Then, you must season the meats with salt and pepper and add them to the seasoning. Mix good. Chop the remaining rocoto (in very small pieces) and add it with the peacans and the flour. Mix again. Wait some moments and add the stock and cream. Mix and take out from the flame. Using hot oil, fry the chopped garlic in olive oil, add the tomato sauce and the wine. Let it cook for 5 minutes.

Now, stuff the rocotos with the meat mix. It's mandatory to be gentle in order to keep the rocotos intact.

Spread tomato sauce on a tray and place the stuffed rocotos and the potatoes. Cover them with parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

You are almost done! Bake to 350º F (150º C) until the cheeses get melt. Serve immediately with white baked potatos and salad if you feel like.