Awesome Ribs & a New Pesto Thanks to Pinterest

I've been trying to catch up on sharing some of my recent dishes...It's not that I haven't been cooking.... just that I've been too busy to share. The sun has been shining, and two little boys have been begging me to play.    Good thing I remember to "Pin" my favorites so I can find them exactly when I need them.

My incentive to write.... it's already Thursday but we still have time to share a pasta dish with Presto Pasta Nights....

Cooking Catch-Up

I don't want to leave you with the notion that I didn't do ANY cooking while I was sickly... I just made simple dishes I didn't have to think about... dishes (most of which, I didn't have the energy or desire to photograph) or write about. But they were delicious and I thought, now that I'm feeling more like myself, I'd share.

First recipe, a trip to the market on Wednesday to pick up pork ribs from Getaway Farm. I had a lot of recipes bookmarked, but ended up making one from my childhood - and why is it that those are the ones that we crave when under the weather... that and the "I can make this in my sleep" kind of recipe that takes little work and smells wonderful while you're waiting? As for the photo... it's an old one, probably not even for this recipe, but it's close and I didn't take any this time around.

Grandma Dolly's BBQ Ribs

I also was lucky enough to score a hanger steak which got to marinate for quite a while before I even had the energy to grill.

Marinated Hanger Steak with Dragon's Breath Blue Cheese over Romaine Hearts & Chef Craig's Awesome Vinaigrette

A stop at The Fish Shop and a chat with Peter about what was the freshest... so cod fillets it was and finally a chance to use the sweet potato panko crumbs I've been talking about since back in January I told you about the tip I got from Peter

Sweet Potato Panko Crusted Pan Fried Cod

It took a while to actually get my hands on some. Ella, who used to be a NY lawyer, bakes delicious breads for Rock Island Bistro as well as as "Spice of Life Artisan Foods" at the Saturday farmers market crowd uses left over sweet potato bread for crumbs and doesn't always have any on hand at the market. The recipe is a well used one, mostly for haddock and plain panko crumbs but even better this way.

Another find from Peter... the gorgeous scallops at the top of the page. They'd be great tossed with your favorite pasta, but we just had them as a tapas dish with crusty bread from the market - perfect for sopping up all that sauce.

Roasted Scallops with Rosemary & Thyme

Even sickies can whip up a delicious plate of Cajun Pasta that requires very little effort (i.e.... no recipe to speak of). This one used up some extra farfalle from an earlier dish (the Chicken Pollo in Sherry Cream Sauce), a couple of handfuls of cremini mushrooms, a smoked andouille sausage from Sweet Williams Sausages, sauteed in some olive oil until the mushrooms are golden, toss in a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach thank goodness for greenhouse farming at Riverview Farms - all from from the market plus a glug or two of white wine and another handful of grated Parmesan cheese. And... voila!!!

I thought I'd share this one with Claire of Chez Cayenne, this week's host for Presto Pasta Night. If you have a great pasta dish, you can share it too. Just send your entry to cdmcculloch7 (at) gmail(dot)com and cc ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com . As for supper tonight... I think, more pasta, perhaps the Lazybones Marinara in the freezer with some sauteed mushrooms.

Slip Sliding Away - But Who Could Resist These Ribs

This is a bad time of year for me to try to stick to South Beach Diet (and in less than a week, I've added back two pounds. Not serious, but...)

Why a bad time of year, you ask...well for example....ribs . Just check out the cover of the BBQ issue of Bon Appetit magazine - and I don't even have a BBQ!
So I had to make these Cambodian-style Ginger & Honey Ribs. I did, however, serve them with sweet potato oven "fries" to counter the "no-no-ness" of the ribs.

And the corn from the Annapolis Valley is ripe and ready for the eating (another SBD no-no),

At least I didn't serve it dripping in butter (sigh), but this Cajun Corn is pretty awesome. Just cut a lime in half and dip the cut end over your favorite Cajun spice mix and rub on the cooked corn.
And how could I possibly resist the fruit, ripe from the valley too... cherries,
peaches...good thing I'm not a big fan of raspberries.

Now, I know...on SBD phase II you are allowed one,,, make that ONE good carb and one fruit, but there in lies my problem...moderation is hard...make that HARD.

For those of you who remember ...Paul Simon's song "Slip Sliding Away" comes to mind.

Oh well, as Scarlett O'Hara used to say "Tomorrow is another day".

Not on Anyone's Diet, but...

No wonder I have to keep putting off making pasta. The scale won't budge, but this time I know why...I couldn't resist a bargain at the grocery store....ribs, one of my favorite food groups. And even though I have a gazillion cookbooks, I couldn't find a recipe that called to me. So I did what any normal food blogger would do...a google search. And I found one I really liked on Recipezaar. With all that honey, and hoisin sauce....well....need I say more? The original recipe needed a little more clarification, so here's my variation of Hoisin Ribs that I served with roasted cauliflower and baby bok choy (the more healthful part of the meal). Who was I kidding. The ribs were like candy...way too much candy, but soooooooooo good.

What's your "Fall-Off-the-Diet" wagon dish?

Short Ribs & Coleslaw Asian Style

Tomorrow is Presto Pasta Night...so you're probably asking where my pasta dish is. We had it on Monday, but before I talk about dinner last night...just a reminder...Closet Cooking Kevin is hosting this week. So send your entries to lynch.kevin AT gmail DOT com I can't wait to see the roundup. And this week is the first time I don't have a sneak preview.

Back to last night's dinner...I've always been a fan of beef short ribs. My grandmother and mother used thickly cut ones we call flanken for soups (split pea, being my favorite) and long slow braises, like this beer braised stew.

And many years ago, a trend-setting cousin of mine, ate Korean ribs at one of the first Korean BBQ restaurants in Montreal (I don't remember the name) and wangled the recipe from the chef. I've been making them ever since. These short ribs are sliced thin (about 1/4") across the ribs, so they're great for quick grilling, as long as you use some marinade to break down the tough muscle...and they're addictive! P.S. - some places call them Miami-style short ribs.

Since moving to Halifax though, I haven't seen much of the thinly sliced ones in the grocery stores....that is until President's Choice of Loblaws/ Superstores came up with a Korean BBQ sauce . Naturally, (and I am grateful) the stores are stocking lots of short ribs. They are perfect for BBQ season...sigh...remember...I don't HAVE a BBQ. But I do have other options....the broiler in my oven, a grill pan for on top of the stove...and my trusty Griddler.

Armed with my batch of thinly sliced short ribs, some of that great fermented black bean sauce I whipped up recently for my Chicken & Bok Choy Stir Fry over Pasta, and a fantastic recipe I found on Vanilla Bean Cafe for Asian Coleslaw. I used broccoli coleslaw mix for my version. To round the main course off nicely, I made sweet potato fries...like my wedges, just cut like French fries and roasted for about 5-7 minutes. Actually I did the entire meal in my oven...broiling the ribs and using the heat to cook the sweet potatoes (but hiding the tray under the ribs so the fries wouldn't burn).

Black Bean Grilled Short Ribs

Last reminder... don't forget about Presto Pasta Night tomorrow...Closet Cooking Kevin is hosting this week. So send your entries to lynch.kevin AT gmail DOT com - I can't wait to see the roundup.

Maple, Maple Everywhere

Last weekend I wrote briefly about my trip to Sugar Moon Farm for my pilgrimage to the greatest elixir of all time....maple syrup.

I bought a copy of The Maple Syrup Cookbook and promised to share a recipe or two. These Crispy Maple Spareribs were uncannily reminiscent of the sweet sugary ribs I grew up on at the Bar B Barn in Montreal. I still try to stop in there when we visit Montreal. Whip up a batch of these finger-licking ribs and you'll find the sweetest things on earth. Although, I must admit these days I like my ribs a bit spicier so next time I'll be using Asian chili sauce instead of the North American sweeter version to heat things up and cut a bit of the sweet...a perfect balance, if you ask me.

Foodtv's Bazaar Blog is running my more indepth article...check it out.