Pork Ribs with Fennel and Apple Cider Vinegar
Even though eating a slab of baby back ribs isn’t an Italian tradition, I felt that, Italians being the pork lovers they are, we could justify serving ribs as long as they had an Italian sensibility. After much prodding by me and experimenting by him, Matt came up with these tender, juicy, peppery, fennely, vinegary, Italianish baby back ribs. It was his brilliant idea to saw the racks of ribs in half down the middle— something you’ll have to ask a butcher to do for you. The riblets feel a bit closer to the single rib you might be served among the unusual cuts on a mixed grill plate in Umbria or Tuscany instead of something you’d get in a roadside barbecue joint. Italian? Not exactly. Delicious? Very. The coleslaw recipe makes twice as much dressing as you’ll need to dress the slaw for four servings, but because it is an emulsified dressing made with one egg yolk, you can’t make less.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4
Ingredients
for the ribs
for the coleslaw
Preparation
Step 1
To prepare the ribs, remove and discard the silver skin from the bone side of each rack of ribs. Combine the salt, sugar, and 1 quart of water together in a baking dish large enough to hold the ribs in a single layer to make a brine. Submerge the ribs in the brine, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Step 2
Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350°F.
Step 3
Remove the ribs from the brine, wipe the baking dish dry, and pat the ribs dry with paper towels. Place the ribs bone side up in a single layer in the baking dish, dust the bone side of the ribs with half of the fennel rub, and pat so the rub adheres to the meat. Turn the ribs and repeat on the other side, leaving the ribs bone side up in the dish. Combine the vinegar and honey in a medium bowl and pour it over the ribs. If you have industrial-strength plastic wrap, which won’t melt in the oven, cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap. In either case cover tightly with aluminum foil and place the ribs in the oven to cook for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the ribs from the oven and remove and discard the foil and plastic, if you used it, being careful not to burn yourself with the steam that will rise from the pan. Baste the ribs with the juices in the dish and return them to the oven, uncovered, for another 20 to 30 minutes, until they are deep brown and glazed looking.
Step 4
To prepare the coleslaw, toast the celery seeds in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat, shaking the pan or stirring the seeds constantly, until they are golden and fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer the seeds to a small bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature.
Step 5
Combine the egg yolk, vinegar, lemon juice, whole-grain mustard, Dijon mustard, sugar, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine the ingredients. Place a wet kitchen towel around the bottom rim of the bowl to hold it in place. Combine the grapeseed oil and olive oil and drizzle the oils a few drops at a time, whisking constantly to form an emulsion. When you have added half of the oil, begin to drizzle the oil in a slow, steady stream, continuing to whisk constantly, until all of the oil has been added. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, if desired. The dressing can be made up to three days in advance. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until you are ready to serve the coleslaw.
Step 6
Remove and discard the outer leaves from both cabbage halves and remove and discard the cores. Separate the leaves, stack two or three leaves on top of one another, and slice them lengthwise 1/4 inch thick. Put the leaves into a large bowl and repeat with the remaining leaves.
Step 7
Trim and discard the ends of the carrot and cut the carrot into 2-inch-long segments. Cut the carrot on a mandoline to create 1/8 inch slabs, discarding the rounded slabs (the first and last slices). Stacking the slabs two at a time, cut them into 1/8-inch-wide matchsticks, and add them to the bowl with the cabbage. Cut the parsnip in the same way as the carrot and add it to the same bowl. Holding the apple upright on your cutting board, cut it into four slabs around the core so you are left holding the core in the center. Discard the core. Cut the apple segments on the mandoline into 1/8-inch-wide slabs, discarding the rounded slices. Stack the slabs two at a time, cut them into 1/8-inchwide matchsticks, and add them to the bowl with the vegetables. If you are not ready to serve the coleslaw, cover it with a damp paper towel and refrigerate until you are ready to serve it, or for up to several hours. Just before serving, season the coleslaw with salt and toss to distribute the salt. Drizzle 1/2 cup of the dressing over the coleslaw and toss to coat the slaw with the dressing. Taste for seasoning and add more dressing or salt, if desired.
Step 8
To serve, lay two of the rib halves on each of four plates, crossing one over the other. Spoon or brush any glaze remaining in the pan over the ribs and sprinkle them with fennel pollen. Pile a heaping 1/2 cup of the coleslaw next to the ribs and serve the remaining coleslaw on the side.
suggested wine pairing
Step 9
Etna Rosso (Sicily)
