Hey, I learned something!

One thing that I would really like to do is go to culinary school.  Right now, that's not an option.  But I'm working on it, so maybe someday (spoiler alert) soon.

But for now, no culinary school.  So I have started amusing myself by going to cooking classes at the Milwaukee Public Market.  And by "started" I mean I went to one.  But I'm supposed to go to another one tonight!

The class that I went to was on cooking ribs.  And, as we know from previous posts such as this one, this one, and this one, I love me some ribs.  But I've only ever made them in the crock pot.  Ribs take a long-ass time, and I just have too much to do.  I know that "grilling" is not "barbecuing," and since I have a grill I assumed I did not have a barbecue.  What I learned from this cooking class is that I am wrong.  I CAN barbecue.  Go team me!

Of course, now I need cooking toys for my newly found BBQ abilities.  I'm thinking about a wood chip box, and a stand that I can put a chicken on to make beer can chicken.  Like a beer can, only from Williams-Sonoma.  This may be why I never have any extra money...

Anyway, I made ribs.  They were delicious, but a little chewy.  I think that I cooked them too hot at first, because they started to char a little and then I turned the heat even further down.  On top of that, I think I might not have cooked them quite long enough.  I'm not a BBQ expert, though, so I will have to keep trying.  What a pity.

Much of this recipe was taken from the class, with a few changes to make it a little more local:

Honey Ribs

• 2 racks pork spare ribs

• Juice of 1 orange

Spice Rub:

• Zest of 1/2 orange
• 2 tbsp honey (L)
• 1 chopped garlic scape (2-3 tbsp) (L)
• 1/2 minced dried Thai chili (L* from last year), or any hot chili
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp allspice
• 1 sprig rosemary, minced (L*)
• 2 sprigs thyme, minced (L*)

Mop Sauce:

• 1/4 cup honey (L)
• 1/4 cup champagne vinigar
• 1 bottle (12 oz) beer (L) - I used Leinenkugel's Summer Shanty

Rub orange juice into ribs.  Allow to sit for about 30 minutes.  Because I was moving slowly (it was crazy hot and I had danced the four days previous in the hot, hot sun) it took me 30 minutes to put together the rub.

Combine all rub ingredients and rub into ribs.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to overnight.


Grill ribs over indirect heat, about 200-250 degrees.  I accomplished this by putting the ribs over the middle two burners of my four burner grill and turning on the outside burners.  I was told that you should also put a pan underneath the ribs to catch any drippings, but I couldn't figure out how to get the grill rack out.  Baste the ribs with the mop sauce every 30 minutes, and cook until ribs are "done."  They should be tender, but not quite falling off the bone.  I don't think 3 hours was enough, but you might have better luck depending on your particular ribs.

I served this with a tomato mozzarella salad and coleslaw.

Green Coleslaw:

• 1/4 green cabbage head, sliced thinly (L)
• 1 kohlrabi bulb, julianned (L*)
• 1/2 large red onion, sliced thinly (L)
• 4 Tbs. white vinegar
• 4 Tbs. olive oil
• 1/2 tea. mustard powder
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed and minced (L)
• dash of Worcestershire sauce
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbl. sugar
• juice from 1/2 lime
• 1/2 cup orange juice
•   mayonnaise to taste

Combine cabbage, kohlrabi, and onion.  In a second bowl, combine all additional ingredients except mayonnaise.  Add to cabbage/onion and stir to combine.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  Just before serving, add mayonnaise until the whole thing starts to just be a little creamy.  Frankly, I don't enjoy over mayonnaised coleslaw.  I think I used about 1/4 cup.

Sometimes I feel sorry for Vegetarians

I totally respect vegetarians.  Especially after this adventure in eating locally, I understand how hard it is to really notice and keep track of everything you are eating.  Lunches at work are especially hard.  Even before this, I tended to just take yesterday's dinner leftovers for lunch, but what if there are no leftovers?  What if I don't have time pack something?  Trying to find local lunch restaurants that I can eat at is impossible, but even in just looking I notice the minuscule amount of vegetarian options out there.  I feel very strongly about eating locally.  It's better for the environment, the economy, and my health.  And it straight up tastes better.  But I cheat.  I don't think I've done a single recipe yet that was 100% local.  It's just too hard.

Vegetarians don't cheat... at least most of them I know don't.  You don't say, "this is too hard.  I'm just going to give up today and eat this ham sandwich.  Then, tomorrow, I'll be back on track."  I couldn't do it.

Which isn't to say that I would want to be a vegetarian if I could.  I'm sorry.  I know a lot of my friends - especially my belly dance friends - are vegetarians.  I don't want to insult you.  I respect the choices you've made.  But I don't agree with them.  There's a flip side to everything.  Health, moral, or religious, I could give you a counter to your reason.  I won't, because I don't want to fight, but I could.  Not that I'd expect vegetarians to agree with me - it's just that nothing in this world is that black and white.

This blog, it has been pointed out to me, has not been vegetarian friendly.  That is not intentional.  Before starting my locavore diet I was probably eating one meat free meal per week.  The thing is, there hasn't been enough vegetables to support that.  I promise, there will be vegetarian posts in the future.

Not today, though.

Dinners like this one make me feel sorry for vegetarians.  Because you do not know what you are missing.  Or, maybe you do and have willpower of stone.  But there's something about a rib that is melt off the bone tender - sweet, savory, spicy...  And, for those of you who are buying your pork in the grocery store because it's cheap, you also don't know what you're missing.  As a child, I did not like pork at all, and now I do.  I wonder if it was because of the pork I was getting.  I just bought a new cookbook called "Good Meat," about sustainable farming and butchering, and the forward states that the pork you buy at the grocery store basically comes from a different animal than the pork that you buy from a farmer's market.  I'd believe that, because it tastes completely different.  I pared this with a "weed" salad - dandelion greens, sorrel, mint, and radish greens all from my back yard.  It was spicy and crunchy, the ribs were tender and melted in your mouth.

The only thing I might do differently was save up all the cooking juice, reduce it down, and serve it over mashed potatoes.  I feel like it got wasted, and it was just too good for that.

Slow Cooked Pork Ribs with Rhubarb Braising Sauce:

(should have made 3 servings, but the two of us demolished the whole thing!)

• Spice Rub
  
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp white pepper
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tbsp paprika
  
• 3 half racks pork ribs (country, or baby back if you have the $ to spend on baby back) (L)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 Large shallots, sliced and roughly chopped (L)
• 1/2 garlic clove, chopped (L)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine (or rose.  I thought a rose might make this "pink-ish".  It never does!)
• 1 cup chicken stock (L)
• 3 cups rhubarb (L*)

Mix together spice rub and rub onto ribs.  

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan until hot.  Brown ribs on both sides and transfer to a crock pot.  Add shallots and garlic and saute briefly.  Add wine and deglaze pan.  Transfer to crock pot, along with chicken stock and rhubarb.  Cook on low for 10 hours.

Weed Salad:

• 4-5 sorrel leaves(L*)
• 1 large bunch dandelion leaves (L*)
• 10 mint leaves, chiffonaded (not sure that's a word...) (L*)
• 4-5 small radishes, with tender leaves (L*)
• Shaved Parmesan cheese

Wash everything VERY well.  Shred first three ingredients and combine.  Remove tender leaves from radishes, and add to greens.  Slice radishes thinly and add.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Dress with rhubarb dressing. 

Yes, this is a pile of weeds that I washed.  And then I ate it.
And it was good. 

Joy of the Crock-Pot... Pork ribs go in; 10 hours later, dinner comes out!

This meal combines two of my major loves:

1. Pork

2. Being lazy

I basically adore my crock pot.  The concept of being at work and knowing that there is something meaty and delicious waiting for me to eat as soon as I get home is one of the best things ever.  I also really enjoy slow cooked meat in general.  It's comforting, especially on a cold day (p.s., it's the middle of April and there is an inch of snow on the ground.  WTH, weather?!), and it's usually cheap.  Which is important because the cost of GM/GE grocery store meat is outrageous, much less the cost of meat from real animals.

This is also fast enough to prepare that I can do it in the morning before going to work.  Which, considering how much I like to sleep in, means it's REALLY fast.  I also served a green leaf salad with ranch dressing - my first home made ranch dressing.  It was so good; I will never buy store made ranch again!

100% local, except for the spices, wine, and olive oil:

Crock Pot Apple Cider Ribs

• 2 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp paprika (I prefer smoked over sweet, but it's up to you and how spicy you want these to be)
• 2 tbsp mild or medium chili powder
• 1 tbsp cayenne
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• Two racks ribs, cut into half racks
• 1 medium onion, sliced thinly
• 3-4 carrots, peeled and cut into about 1 inch chunks
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup apple cider
• 1/4 cup white wine
• olive oil

Combine  first 7 ingredients and rub onto ribs.  You could do this the night before to save even more time in the morning.

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a large frying pan.  Sear ribs on both sides in batches, being careful not to crowd the pan.  I tend to do them one at a time.  As the ribs are browned, layer them on the bottom of the crock pot.

Quickly saute onions, carrots, and garlic in the same pan, seasoning with any leftover rib rub.  Pour on top of ribs in crock pot.

Add apple cider and wine to deglaze pan.  Pour over the contents of the crock pot.

Cook on low for 10 hours.

Eat.

Nap.

Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup mayonaise
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tsp chopped fresh chives (from my garden!)
• 1/4 tsp dry dill (or 1 tsp fresh)

In a medium bowl, mix together buttermilk and mayonnaise.  Add remaining ingredients, adjusting for taste.

This makes about 1 1/2 cups, and only lasts for a week.  Next time I will only make half.  Also, next time I will make my own mayo so this can be a little bit more local.  But I'm going to use up what I have first.