Chewy thin ribs and sweet root vegetables cooked until their flavors melt into a deeply delicious whole. It’s also easy to cook. Once everything are in the pot, you can forget about the dish until it’s time to eat. Serve this with crusty bread for sauce-mopping.
Ingredients: (Serves 4)
- 215 g plain flour
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 6 single-rib thin ribs or 3 double-rib
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons grapeseed or rapeseed oil
- 2 onions, cut into 2.5 cm dice
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
- 45o g trimmed baby carrots, or peeled regular carrots, cut into chunks
- 6 celery sticks, split lengthways and halved if large
- 1 celeriac, peeled and cut into 2.5 cm dice
- 1 large sweet potato, cut into 2.5 cm dice
- 1 large parsnip, roll-cut into 2.5 cm pieces or cut conventionally
- 2 tablespoons naturally brewed soy sauce
Method:
In a large shallow plate, combine the flour and chili powder. Season the ribs with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour mixture.
Heat a tall, wide saucepan over a medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and swirl to coat the bottom. When the oil is hot, shake the excess flour mixture from the ribs, add them to the pan and cook, turning once, for about 8 minutes until browned. Set the ribs aside.
Add the remaining oil to the pan and swirl to coat the bottom. When the oil is hot, add the onions and garlic and saute, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, celeriac, potato and parsnip. Season with salt and pepper. Add the ribs, soy sauce and enough water to almost cover the ingredients. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Cover and cook over a medium heat for about 3 hours until a paring knife passes through the meat easily. (Quick rip: cook in a pressure cooker, over a medium-high heat, for 1 hour.) Transfer the ribs and vegetables to a large bowl and serve.