Red Wine Braised Short Ribs, Pea and Corn Salad, and Fried Potatoes

Good afternoon!! For dinner yesterday, I made braised ribs, fried potatoes, and a corn and pea salad. It was very yummy!! Pork ribs is one of those dishes that if I went anywhere as a kid and it was on the menu, I knew what I was getting immediately! Chicken fried steak was another, and when I went somewhere like T-Bone Toms that had both (Everything they have is phenomal, by the way!), I had a big decision to make!! I don't know why I don't make ribs or chicken fried steak very often, as much as they still remain some of my favorites, except for that I love so many foods, I want to eat them all!!




To make these awesome ribs;
This takes about 10 minutes to prep, 2-8 hours to marinate, 2 hours to cook, and 15 minutes to rest.

4 to 5 pounds meaty pork spareribs (You could also use pork loin back ribs, or even beef ribs would be good.)
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley, crushed
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1 cup red wine (I used Pinot Noir)
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup honey (Spray your measuring cup with cooking spray first so it comes out easily.)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup yellow mustard
2 tablespoons beef stock
1 teaspoon hot sauce

Combine pepper, salt, chili powder, sugar, onion and garlic powders, parsley and oregano in a bowl to make the dry rub. Massage all of the rub into both sides of the ribs. Place on a shallow baking pan, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours to overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove ribs from refrigerator set aside to allow the chill to come off of them.

In a large bowl, combine wine, juice, honey, vinegar, soy sauce, mustard, beef stock, and hot sauce. Pour some over the ribs (I tried to pour it all on at once, but then the pan was too full to go in the oven. I poured it back out and started with a cup and a half and added more when it was time to baste.)

Place uncovered roasting pan in the center of oven. Braise for an hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours, until meat is tender, basting every 20 minutes. Move the ribs to a cutting board and let rest for 15 minutes.

While the ribs are resting, whisk the sauce remaining in the pan to release any browned bits and incorporate any caramelized sauce. Pour into a small pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until it has thickened some. If you want it thicker, make a slurry out of 1 tablespoon corn starch and 1 tablespoon water, whisk and add in a little of the warmed sauce to temper and whisk well. Whisk slurry into the sauce, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.

Cut ribs into serving pieces (I like cutting them into individual ribs, but you can cut them into groups of 2 or 3 if you want.), plate, and drizzle with a little reduced sauce. Serve remaining sauce in individual ramekins for dipping.

This recipe serves 4.

If you want to make this nice, light, corn and pea salad;
This recipe takes 15 minutes to assemble and an hour to chill.

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt
pepper
1 16oz package frozen corn, thawed (Just place in a collander under running cool water.)
1 16 oz package frozen peas, thawed
1 cup jicama, peeled and chopped
2 stalks thinly sliced celery
4 green onions, sliced thinly on a bias
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, sugar, mint, oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Add corn, peas, jicama, celery, onions, and bell pepper, and toss well to coat with dressing. Cover and chill for 1 hour.

This recipe serves 10 as a side dish, or could serve 4 as an entree.

Those awesome fried potatoes should be made this way;
This takes about 35 minutes to prep and cook.

cooking spray
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 medium potatoes, sliced (Leave the skins on. Except for Potassium, all of the fiber and nutrients are in the skin. The skin is yummy, too! Don't waste all that flavor!)
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
salt
pepper

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and melt the butter over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 15 seconds (If it burns, you need to clean the pan and start over, the burned garlic flavor permiates the pan and makes the food bitter.). Layer potato and onion in the skillet, sprinle with thyme, salt, and pepper, and toss to season all of the potato and onion slices. Cook, covered, for 8 minutes, turning occasionally. Uncover and cook 15 minutes more until potatoes are tender and browned, turning occasionally.

This recipe serves 4.