Stick with ribs for these two tasty meals

By Debra Samuels, May 5, 2010

Chinese spare ribs are restaurant food, and usually gnaw-the-bone good. You can also make delicious ribs at home, where you don’t have to worry about table manners. There are three cuts of ribs: meaty pork ribs, sometimes called St. Louis-style; baby-back pork ribs that have less meat; and country-style ribs that may take longer to cook and aren’t traditionally used in Chinese recipes. St. Louis and baby back both come in racks. I prefer the meaty St. Louis; butchers will cut the ribs into individual bones, which is what you want. Marinate them for several hours in a soy and hoisin mixture with ketchup, then roast them in a hot oven. The marinade turns into a glazy sauce with a deep reddish tone (because of ketchup). One drawback to this foolproof method: The sweet sauce and high oven temperature make everything stick like crazy to your pan, so line it with heavy duty foil. Add gloriously green baby bok choy and a bowl of rice to turn this classic appetizer into a main course.

Stash away a few ribs and some of the bok choy for bowls of pork-noodle ramen. Add scallions and a few slices of ginger to a good quality beef broth, then simmer the ribs in it to heat them through and flavor the soup. Serve the broth with pork sliced off the bone, curly ramen noodles, sometimes called chuka soba, the bok choy, and a handful of crunchy bean sprouts. Recycle all those take-out menus, toss that packaged ramen, and do it yourself.

RECIPES

Chinese-style pork spare ribs
Serves 4 with leftovers

You can use this sauce for Chinese roast pork. Cut a pork tenderloin into two long strips; follow the marinating and cooking instructions below.

5 1/2	pounds St. Louis-style pork spare ribs (about 16 ribs separated)
1/4	cup soy sauce
2	tablespoons hoisin sauce
1/2	cup sugar
1/4	cup red or white wine or sake
1/4	cup ketchup
6	scallions, cut into 4-inch lengths and smashed
6	cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4	cup water

1. Have on hand 2 half-gallon zipper plastic bags. Divide the ribs between them.

2. In a large bowl combine the soy and hoisin sauces, sugar, wine or sake, ketchup, scallions, and garlic. Mix well. Stir in the water. Pour half the sauce into each bag. Carefully press the air out of the bags, then close the zippers. Rub the sauce around all the ribs. Refrigerate for several hours, turning once to redistribute the sauce.

3. Set the oven at 450 degrees.

4. About 15 minutes before cooking, remove the ribs from the refrigerator. Line a roasting pan with heavy duty foil. Place the ribs and marinade in the pan, leaving space between them.

5. Cook the ribs for 35 minutes, turning every 15 minutes. Cut into the meat down to the bone to make sure there is no bright pink color. If they are burning, turn the heat down to 425 degrees. Place ribs on a platter and brush any cooking juices onto the ribs. (Set aside 4 ribs for the ramen.) Serve with white rice and bok choy. Debra Samuels. Adapted from Jeanne Tahnk.

Pork-noodle ramen
Serves 4

Curly ramen noodles (chuka soba), come dried in compact squares or nests. You can also use 1 pound of thin fresh Chinese noodles in this Japanese dish.

3	cups beef broth
2	cups water
2	tablespoons soy sauce
4	scallions, cut into 4-inch lengths and smashed
1	piece (1 inch) fresh ginger, cut into 4 slices
4	cooked pork spare ribs
2	teaspoons sesame oil
	Salt and pepper, to taste
4	pieces cooked bok choy, each halved lengthwise
2	cups fresh bean sprouts (mung bean)
12	ounces (4 nests) ramen noodles (chuka soba)
	Extra sesame oil (for sprinkling)

1. In a soup pot over medium heat, combine beef broth, water, soy sauce, scallions, and ginger. Bring to a boil. Add the pork ribs and lower the heat. Simmer for 10 minutes or until pork is heated through. Remove ribs, scallions, and ginger and transfer to a bowl.

2. Add sesame oil, salt, and pepper to the soup. Turn the heat to low.

3. Slice meat off the bones; discard bones, scallions, and ginger.

4. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the bok choy and cook for 30 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to lift it out and transfer to a plate. Add the bean sprouts to the water; cook 1 minute. With the spoon transfer the sprouts to a bowl; sprinkle with salt.

5. Add ramen to boiling water and cook 3 to 5 minutes or until noodles are tender but still have bite.

6. Drain the noodles and rinse with warm water. With a scissors snip the noodles in half. Divide the noodles among 4 deep bowls.

7. Arrange the pork, bok choy, and bean sprouts on the noodles. Ladle soup around the noodles. Sprinkle with sesame oil. Serve with chopsticks and a spoon.

Making the most of tender rib-eye

Open with classic roast beef, then a hearty shepherd’s pie

December 30, 2009

The classic pairing of roast beef and potatoes can go from Sunday night supper to something special - depending on the cut of meat you use. For a New Year’s Eve celebration, a rib-eye roast, which has plenty of flavor for a relatively moderate price ($7.50 per pound at my local supermarket), makes a nice presentation. “The Joy of Cooking’’ refers to this and other tender cuts as “Sunday dinner roast beef.’’ Turn your elegant leftovers into a hearty shepherd’s pie.

Rib-eye comes from the area along the animal’s spine that doesn’t get much of a workout, hence its tenderness. A little marbling contributes to the good taste. Rub the meat with salt, pepper, and paprika a few hours before roasting, and baste the roast with tomato or vegetable juice, which mixes with the pan juices and cooks into a light but meaty sauce with none of the fuss of thickening. For the potatoes, make a creamy cloud of golden mash; add steamed green beans or broccoli tossed with a little butter and lemon juice as a side dish.

The extra pound of meat in the roasting pan, more potatoes then you need in the mash, and lots of veggies in the steamer are ideal for shepherd’s pie. This meat and potato casserole, traditionally made with lamb, is the perfect comforting, hot dish to feed your bleary-eyed New Year’s guests.

RECIPES

Roast beef
Serves 6 with leftover

1	boneless beef rib-eye roast (5 pounds)
2	teaspoons kosher salt
1/2	teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2	teaspoons paprika
1	large onion, thinly sliced
2	carrots, cut into 3-inch pieces
2	stalks celery, cut into 3-inch pieces
3	cans (8 ounces each) vegetable or tomato juice
1	cup water

1. Remove the meat from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.
2. Set the oven at 375 degrees. Have on hand a small roasting pan.
3. Rub the meat with salt, pepper, and paprika. Sprinkle half the onion in the pan with the carrots and celery. Spread the remaining onion on top of the roast.
4. In a bowl, mix the vegetable or tomato juice and water. Pour 1/2 cup over the meat and 2 cups over the vegetables in the pan.
5. Roast the meat in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes. Spoon the juices in the pan over the meat.
6. Turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees. Continue roasting, basting every 30 minutes, for 1 3/4 to 2 hours or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 130 degrees for medium-rare meat, 140 degrees for medium, 170 degrees for well done. (Total cooking time is 2 to 2 1/2 hours.) During roasting, if the pan seems dry, add the remaining tomato mixture.
7. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let it rest in a warm place for 10 minutes.
8. Strain the roasting juices into a saucepan (save the onions, carrots, and celery for the pie); taste the juices for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like. Reheat the juices and let them simmer gently to thicken slightly. Cut the meat into 1/4-inch slices and spoon the cooking juices over the meat.

Shepherd's Pie - Serves 6

	Olive oil (for the pan)
2	tablespoons olive oil
2	cups cooked vegetables, coarsely chopped
	Onions, carrots, and celery from roasting the beef, coarsely chopped
4	cups cooked roast beef, coarsely chopped
2	teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2	tablespoons ketchup
1	teaspoon dried thyme
	Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2	to 1 cup leftover cooking juices, or more if you have some
3	cups mashed potatoes
2	tablespoons butter, cut into 8 pieces

1. Set the oven at 375 degrees. Oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Cook all the vegetables, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the beef, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring, 1 minute more.
3. Add the cooking juices (up to 1 cup) and turn the heat to high. Bring the mixture to a boil. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like. Transfer to the baking dish.
4. With a rubber spatula spread the mashed potatoes over the meat to cover it completely. Dot with butter.
5. Bake the pie for 30 minutes or until the potatoes are browned and the meat mixture is bubbling at the edges