Rickard's Cardigan Beer-braised Ribs

NOTE: This post was scheduled by Daniel Saraga of Haggis and Herring before he suddenly passed away.  We have decided to ensure his scheduled posts continue.  Daniel's wife Meredith posted her eulogy to him.  Please read more about our wonderful Daniel.

When I was at the Rickard's Cardigan launch, Brewmaster Matthews was telling me about beer-braised ribs that his wife had made. Although I wasn't able to get my hands on the recipe, I still wanted to give it a try myself.

My main problem was that I've never made ribs before. Ever. Mostly because I've been a little intimidated by ribs culture. It's very competitive and very secretive. I worked myself up to buying some ribs - so I was committed. Now to find a recipe.

I realized that finding the right recipe for me was going to be a big challenge. Many recipes took hours and hours. Some used slow cookers. I didn't have time for that - this meal was being made on a weekday. I eventually found one - beer braised ribs at Serious Eats. That recipe gave me a method that I could work with, as well as a set of ingredients that I could adapt.

It smelled great when it was in the oven and the ribs tasted great. They were tender, but not fall-off-the-bone soft. The cayenne added a nice kick as well, and the garam masala complemented the spices in the beer.

Rickard's Cardigan Beer-braised Ribs

1 rack pork ribs, membrane removed and split into three separate parts
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp garam masala
2 or 3 cinnamon sticks
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp cayenne
5 cloves garlic, crushed with the flat edge of a knife
1 bottle Rickard's Cardigan
1 tbsp flour
1/4 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 300-degrees and season ribs with salt and pepper.
2. In a Dutch oven, heat oil on medium-high and sear ribs on both sides once piece at a time and set aside.
3. Add garam masala, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, garlic, beer, and stir.
4. Add back ribs, bring to a boil and cover. Transfer to oven and let cook for 75 minutes - until meat is tender.
5. Transfer meat to a foil-lined pan and preheat broiler. You can add additional salt and pepper if you prefer. Broil on both sides until brown and crisp (1-2 minutes).
6. Skim cooking liquid of fat, strain using a sieve and bring to a boil. Mix the flour and water together and add to liquid. Stir until thickened and pour on top of ribs.

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Swiss Chard and Cheddar Soup

NOTE: This post was scheduled by Daniel Saraga of Haggis and Herring before he suddenly passed away.  We have decided to ensure his scheduled posts continue.  Daniel's wife Meredith posted her eulogy.  Please read more about our wonderful Daniel.

September cooled down right away, just the way I like it. I dislike hot-and-sticky August. Cool nights, warm soup, some hearty bread and a beer. That's my idea of a September dinner.

Earlier that week, I read Chaya's Swiss Chard Soup recipe and it inspired me. I knew I had to make my own version. You can read Chaya's post if you'd like to learn more about Swiss chard.

Well, I've made my first soup of the season, and according to Meredith, I've set the bar high. The cheese in the soup really complimented the beer. We nearly finished the entire pot ourselves - with barely enough left over for lunch the following day.

Swiss Chard and Cheddar Soup

2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
2 carrots, chopped
4 cups chopped Swiss chard, cleaned and chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
3-4 cups vegetable broth
1 can mixed chickpeas and kidney beans, drained
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup shredded old Cheddar cheese

1. Heat oil in a deep pot on medium and fry onions for 3-5 minutes.
2. Add garlic and carrots and continue fry for another 3-5 minutes.
3. Add Swiss chard and stir for 2-4 minutes, until wilted.
4. Add broth, beans, thyme, salt, oregano, and pepper, stir, cover and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce to medium and let simmer, covered for 30-40 minutes.
6. Remove 1 cup of vegetables into a separate container and and using an immersion blender, puree.
7. Add pureed vegetables back to pot, stir in cheese, and serve.

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Vermouth Chicken

NOTE: This post was scheduled by Daniel Saraga of Haggis and Herring before he suddenly passed away.  We have decided to ensure his scheduled posts continue.  Daniel's wife Meredith posted her eulogy.  Please read more about our wonderful Daniel.

I guess my friends and I are at that age when our parents are starting to get older and are moving out of houses they've occupied for 30+ years and into smaller places – apartments, condos or otherwise. You can imagine the fun of emptying a lifetime of accumulated stuff from basements. I'm not looking forward to helping out with that task when the time comes.

Our good friend, Dr. Karen, has been on such a mission for the last few weeks. Back in July, she uncovered a case of Vermouth which her father apparently "bought for next to nothing - practically free!" What on Earth was she going to do with it? Why, call up her friends and ask them what they'd do with a bottle, of course!

I immediately said "I'd cook with it," and started to look up what exactly Vermouth was, aside from one of the ingredients in a Martini.

To my surprise, I learned that Vermouth is actually a fortified wine, so it doesn't last long once opened. It really needs to be kept in the fridge once the seal is broken, and tossed after six months.

Now put up your hand if you or your parents have a half-empty bottle of Vermouth sitting in your liquor cabinet that's at least 14 years old. You should throw that out.

I also read that Vermouth can be used as a substitute for red wine in savoury dishes, and quickly found a recipe for Vermouth chicken. Not being satisfied with the original recipe, I rewrote it and adjusted many ingredients, including upping the amount of sauce (both literally and figuratively) and adding olives – you could just smell that it was begging for olives, seriously.

We served the chicken with baked potatoes, however, I think we'll serve it with rice next time.

Dr. Karen made her own, mostly following this recipe,
using less onion, putting the olives on top
afterwards, and serving it on top of spatzele,
a German pasta.

Vermouth Chicken

2 tbsp olive oil
1 kilo chicken legs
1 red onion, sliced
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp salt (if tomatoes are unsalted)
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
1 cup dry Vermouth
1 can diced tomatoes
250g mushrooms
1/4 cup olives, sliced
1 small can (150ml) tomato paste

1. Heat olive oil on medium in a deep pan and brown chicken for 3-5 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.
2. Add onions, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper and saute for 5-8 minutes.
3. Add the Vermouth and quickly scrape any remains of chicken from the bottom of the pan.
4. Add the mushrooms and tomatoes and bring to a boil.
5. Add back chicken, reduce to medium, cover and let simmer for 25 minutes, turning chicken after 10 minutes.
6. Stir in tomato paste, add olives and reduce to medium-low. Cover and let simmer for another 5 minutes.
7. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

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