I had a hankering for ribs, and since I don’t make them often I wanted a straightforward recipe to follow – this one from Food and Wine magazine fit the bill. Easy, delicious, and a fine use of good Balsamic vinegar. The full recipe is below.

First, I put together the spice mix, and then rubbed it on the meat. I had a 4-pound rack of ribs, but I still made the full amount of the spice mix for a 6-pound rack.

Spice mix for the rub.

Rubbing the spices on the ribs.

I let the meat sit for 2 hours and absorb the flavors, preheated the oven, and cooked it at 325 for about 2-1/2 hours, until tender. Then I brushed it with some good balsamic vinegar, and broiled for just a couple minutes, which added a lovely carmelized color to it.

Marinating the meat.

Finished cooking, with the balsamic glaze.

These looked so good it was hard to let them sit for 5 more minutes! Served with some butternut squash. Delicious. Recipe follows.

Dinner! Worth the wait.

Tuscan-Style Spareribs with Balsamic Glaze
(Adapted from Food and Wine magazine)

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons rosemary leaves, chopped
1-1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
1-1/2 tablespoon fennel seeds
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh sage, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped (I only had dried)
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
6 pounds pork spare ribs (I used a 4-pound rack)
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, preferably aged at least 5 years

METHOD:

1. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil with the spices. Rub the spice paste all over the spareribs and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours or refrigerate overnight.

2. Preheat oven to 325. Arrange the ribs on a large rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan, meaty side up. Roast the ribs for 2 hours, or until tender. (Mine took about 2-1/2 hours.)

3. Preheat the broiler. Brush the meaty side of the ribs with the balsamic vinegar and broil 6 inches from the heat until browned, 2 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Then cut between the ribs and serve.

Two dishes from my Piedmontese cookbook really hit the spot recently – Roast Potatoes with Porcini Mushrooms, and Rice Soup with Asparagus. Recipes below.

The asparagus was just starting to come in in my garden so I was on the lookout for new asparagus recipes. And I’d been noticing how many recipes in the Piedmont cookbook called for fresh or dried porcini, so a container of dried porcini caught my eye at my local supermarket.

Dried porcini - very popular in Piedmont!

Both recipes were pretty easy.

Patate Arrosto con Funghi (Roast Potatoes with Porcini Mushrooms)

1 kg (2lb 3 ozs) waxy yellow potatoes 
4 T virgin olive oil 
100 g (3-1/2 oz) dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 750 ml (25 fl oz) warm water for 15 minutes
About 12 cloves garlic, skin on
About 15 fresh sage leaves
100 g (3-1/2 oz) unsalted butter
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400F. Peel and cut the potatoes into quarters. Choose a roasting pan that will hold the potatoes comfortably without crowding them and pour the olive oil into it. Add potatoes and shake them around to coat with the oil. Drain the porcini, keeping the water they have been soaked in, and add them to the potatoes. Now mix the garlic and sage evenly through the potatoes and porcini. Add the water the porcini were soaked in and lastly chop the butter into small pieces and dot them around. Roast in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time. The potatoes should be golden brown and full of porcini flavor. Put them on a serving plate and season with salt and pepper. Serves 4.

My Notes: It took longer to cook than 30 minutes – closer to an hour – for two reasons. I think my roasting pan was a little small so the potatoes were crowded, plus I did not peel the potaotes. Was worth the wait though, great mushroom flavor, hearty yet not too heavy. After cooking I peeled the garlic cloves – doesn’t seem appealing to eat the papery  skins.

Mm dots of butter...

Ready at last! Worth the wait.

Zuppa di Riso con Puntine d’Asparagi (Rice Soup with Asparagus)

20 g (3/4 oz) unsalted butter
1 Spanish onion, chopped
100 g (3-1/2 oz) Vialone Nano rice
2 litres (3-1/2 pints) very good chicken stock, or veggie stock
200 g (7 oz) baby asparagus
100 g (3-1/2 oz) freshly grated Parmigiano

In a saucepan melt the butter, then cook the onion for a few minutes. Add the rice and turn it so that it is well coated with the onion and butter mixture. Now add the stock and cook for about 15 minutes. Cut the asparagus into 2 cm (3/4 inch) long pieces and add them to the soup. Cook until the asparagus is tender, but still has a bit of crunch. Take off heat, add the Parmigiano and serve.

My Notes: I used my homemade chicken stock from the freezer, which is very flavorful so that added a lot to the dish. I had asparagus from my front yard but not baby asparagus. And, I had Arborio rice rather than Vialone Nano – still from Piedmont though! Was tasty and light, a fine pairing with the potato dish.

The first few spears from my garden

Flavorful and light