Time Goes Back

I feel like I’m living in the past. Maybe it’s because I’m putting up another post that would have been more appropriate 2 months ago when I actually made this dish. Hearty risotto and ribs are great when it’s cold outside, (like in February) and you want something to fill you up and keep you warm. It’s not generally what you crave when the weather is balmy and patios are all the rage again, (I wish I had a patio...). I suppose, however, that you could do these ribs on the bbq instead of in the oven and they’d be pretty nice for an outdoor dinner. The risotto might need to be replaced with potato salad though.

But I digress, when I read a claim of ribs in under an hour over at The Kitchen Sink, I was immediately intrigued. They looked absolutely amazing but could you really make ribs in under an hour? The answer is yes. These ribs were pretty good. They weren’t fall off the bone tender like would be achieved by cooking them low and slow for hours on end, but if you don’t have all day to make ribs, these are a very good substitute and will definitely satisfy a rib craving.

As for the risotto, I’ve posted twice before about wild mushroom risottos, (here and here) and have made many other risottos that I haven’t posted about, usually because I don’t follow a recipe when making it. Once you have the basic technique for making risotto the flavour possibilities are endless. You can pretty much turn anything into a risotto. If only everything were so easy.

Chinese Barbecued Baby Back Ribs (Gourmet, November 2007)

3 tablespoons chopped peeled ginger
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons honey
4 pounds baby back ribs (2 to 4 racks)

Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Line a 17- by 12- by 1-inch baking pan with foil.
Purée ginger, garlic, soy sauce, and oil in a blender, then transfer to a bowl and whisk in hoisin sauce and honey. Reserve 1/2 cup sauce and coat ribs with remainder.
Arrange ribs, meaty sides down, in pan and bake, turning and basting once with some of reserved sauce halfway through baking, until cooked through, about 40 minutes.
Turn on broiler. Brush ribs, meaty sides up, with remaining sauce. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat until edges are lightly charred, 4 to 8 minutes.

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Ribs + Risotto + Chinese