Sweet Braised Ribs
I’ve made this a while back, and haven’t in a long time. It’s good and hearty. Freezes well too. Make sure you brow the ribs well, otherwise they come out a really unattractive gray color. If you do the browning in batches it usually works better than trying to throw them all in at once.
Serves 6
- 2 lbs pork ribs – individually sliced
- 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons basil
- 1 lb peeled baby carrots
- 8 oz sliced portabello mushroom
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 6 oz marsala
- 1 lemon
- 6 tablespoons cayenne pepper
- 3 cloves garlic – sliced thin
- 1 lbs of a shaped pasta (farfalle, fussilli) just not long and thin
- 2 onion – diced
- 2 tablespoons butter – softened
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- water
- salt
- Place the 6 quart pot on the stove and start to preheat it
- When it is pretty hot, add the oil and begin browning the ribs in batches. Let the ribs get to a nice golden brown on all sides. Do not let it burn and do not over stuff the pan. If there are too many ribs, brown a few and then take them out of the pan onto the extra plate. This is most easily done with a set of tongs
- After browning all the ribs, let them rest on the plate and turn the heat to medium.
- Toss in the onions and let them caramelize.
- Toss in the mushrooms, butter, and garlic and cook until soft.
- Throw in the alcohol to deglaze the pan and squeeze in the lemon juice. Make sure you scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or a spatula to get all the little bits of caramelized pork
- Turn on the heat to high again and let the liquid reduce by half.
- Add the ribs, Worcestershire, tomato paste, the maple syrup, diced tomatoes, basil, and the cayenne pepper. Stir well and simmer for 30 – 40 minutes.
- Add the carrots and some salt to taste and simmer another 10 minutes.
- Add about another 3 cups of water, two big pinches of salt. Bring to a boil.
- Add your choice of pasta and cook according to the directions. I recommend cutting off the heat halfway through because the pasta will continue to cook and expand.