BALSAMIC, MAPLE & MISO GLAZED PORK SPARE RIBS WITH SWEET & SOUR CAULIFLOWER QUENELLES

Our April 2012 Daring Cooks hosts were David & Karen from Twenty-Fingered Cooking. They presented us with a very daring and unique challenge of forming our own recipes by using a set list of ingredients!   Here they go:

List 1: Parsnips, Eggplant (aubergine), Cauliflower
List 2: Balsamic Vinegar, Goat Cheese, Chipotle peppers
List 3: Maple Syrup, Instant Coffee, Bananas

We had to use at least 1 ingredient from each list to create an original recipe!  As I have already said in my Eggplant & tri-colour goat cheese mille-feuille on couscous post, I am not very familiar with the majority of the above ingredients and this challenge took me completely out of my comfort zone… or so I thought.  In the end I came up with 2 original recipes, and after sharing the Eggplant Mille-feuille with you, today it is time for the second recipe.  I made Balsamic, Maple & Miso glazed pork spare ribs with sweet and sour Cualiflower quenelles.  The ribs were baked with a sauce made with maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, ketchup, ginger & garlic powders, shiro miso, brown sugar, orange juice and chilly flakes. They were DELICIOUS!  Sweet, tangy and sticky!  My husband said they were restaurant quality!  And who am I to disagree?? 😉  The sauce is also great to dip the ribs in after they are cooked!  Make sure you have plenty of paper towels around!!  The cauliflower is a twist on a Sicilian classic, with the addition of maple syrup and balsamic vinegar for the sweet and sour taste and raisins and pine nuts for some texture.  I hope you enjoy them!  I had a fantastic time creating these recipes!!!  I see more coming… Thank you so much David & Karen for such a fantastic challenge!

Balsamic, maple & miso glazed pork spare ribs – Original recipe by Manuela Zangara

Ingredients:
1.1  kg pork spare ribs
¾ cup maple syrup
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup ketchup
½ tsp ginger powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tbsp. shiro miso
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 pinch salt
5 tbsp orange juice (half an orange)
½ tsp chilly flakes

Put all the ingredients (apart from the spare ribs) together in a saucepan, bring to a boil and simmer on a low flame for about 5 minutes or until it thickens a little.  Keep it aside.

In the meantime, trim the spare ribs of the excessive fat.  Then put them in a baking dish meat side up, cover them tightly with aluminium foil and cook them in a pre heated oven at 180C for 1.5 hrs.  Now turn the ribs over and baste them with some of the sauce.  Cook them uncovered for 15 minutes.  Then turn them over, baste them again and cook uncovered for another 15 minutes.  Then turn the ribs over, baste them again and broil them at 200C for 5 minutes.  Turn them again, baste and broil for 5 more minutes.

NOTE: depending on your oven, you may have to baste them a few extra minutes to make sure they are moist at all times.

Serve hot with the remaining sauce!  Don’t forget the paper towels!!!

Sweet & Sour Cauliflower Quenelles – Original recipe by Manuela Zangara

Ingredients (for 2 persons):
350 gms cauliflower
1 small garlic clove
1 tbsp raisins
1 tbsp pine nuts
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp maple syrup
Salt to taste

Put the cauliflower, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, water and salt in a pot.  Cover it and cook on a slow flame until very soft.  Stir every now and then, to prevent it from burning.  When ready, add the raisins, pine nuts, maple syrup and balsamic vinegar.

Cook for 2 minutes, stir and keep aside to cool down.  When it gets to room temperature it is ready!  To serve it, make some quenelles using 2 spoons.