Killer Oven Roasted Baby Back Ribs!

I love ribs. Big meaty ribs. Baby back ribs. I just love them all!

I don't usually cook ribs because I don't have the time to start a fire and slow roast them like they deserve.

Being a cooking show watcher for more years than I care to admit (40), I have seen some chefs cook ribs in the oven. This seemed like a compromise to me and I don't like compromising in the kitchen. I like authentic, real food the way it should taste. Cooking ribs in the oven didn't seem like something I wanted to try, but try I did.

At Pats Marketplace in East Islip they had some nice looking ribs for $3.99 a pound, so I bought them.

Liking lots of flavor, I decided to marinate the ribs overnight in a dry rub. I usually look at recipes, then put my own take on them. I did that with my rub.

I rubbed the ribs (literally) and wrapped them in plastic and then aluminum foil and placed them in the refrigerator overnight.

The next night, the oven was set at 350 degrees C to start.

I unwrapped the ribs completely, discarded the plastic wrap and then wrapped them back up in the aluminum foil. Place the package on a half sheet pan and slipped in onto the top rack of the oven.

After roasting about 30-35 minutes, I unwrapped them and lowered the oven temperature to 325 and started applying BBQ sauce. I used Sweet Baby Ray's. Love that sauce. On the sweet side with a nice subtle kick to it. I applied the BBQ sauce every 15 minutes or so until the meat started to pull away from the bones. Overall cooking time was about 1 hour and 15 minutes. I am not sure, but I think there were about 3 pounds of ribs in the rack.

I served the ribs with some sauce on the side.

Let me tell you, it was a homerun! I loved them. My wife loved them. They came out tender and juicy with a nice bite to them; meaning they weren't mushy fall off the bone, like when you braise meat. I will definitely do this again and again and again during the winter and beyond!

I would recommend making your own rub, but here's mine. Next time I'll add cayenne to it for some heat.

Bob's Rib Rub

1/4 Cup - Light Brown Sugar (feel free to use dark brown)

1 TBS each of:
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Ground Cumin
Chili Powder (I used mild, but use what you like)
Ground Ginger
Dry Mustard
White Pepper
Lemon Pepper

2 TBS - Kosher Salt

1 tsp - Smoked Paprika (next time I'm bumping it to 1 TBS.)

Literally rub the rub in then put another layer of rub on top before wrapping the ribs to marinate overnight.

Enjoy!

Let me know how it comes out and what you used in YOUR rub!

Lemon-Garlic Lamb Chops with Minted Couscous

Photo Courtesy Fine Cooking

From Fine Cooking

A Great Weeknight Meal!

Lemon-Garlic Lamb Chops with Minted Couscous

Here, a simple lemon-garlic sauce does double duty—it’s brushed on the lamb and stirred into the couscous. You can use lamb loin chops instead of rib chops, but they might need slightly more time under the broiler.

Betty's Easter Sausage Pie a.k.a. Pizza Rustica

Growing up with an Italian mother was great. My mother could cook and I loved everything she put on the table, which eventually translated into weighing over 500 pounds! Now, thankfully, after gastric bypass, I am less than half the man I used to be!

But, I digress.

So, holidays were, obviously, very, very special. Easter was a holiday that I loved, loved, loved! The food my mother made was so special to me because it was unlike the cooking she did for other holidays. There wasn't as much tomato sauce based dishes. One of my absolute favorite dishes she made was what she called "sausage pie", which is otherwise known as pizza rustica.

This dish is so easy to make. The hardest part is putting together the dough for the crust, which isn't hard at all, because there aren't that many ingredients.

I used good ricotta, but traditional recipes list ricotta or basket cheese. Basket cheese is Arabic, but used in the Italian-American world most often around Easter. It is sometimes referred to as a cross between ricotta and fresh mozzarella. It is literally made in baskets, thus its name. It can be eaten by itself with extra virgin olive oil or honey or used wherever you use ricotta in a recipe. I like the milkiness of ricotta, so I use that.

You'll need a 9-inch springform pan.

This recipe was adapted from a wonderful website, Cooking with Nonna

For the Dough:
1 lb (3 1/3 C) All-Purpose Flour
2 Eggs
Pinch of kosher salt
1/2 lb (2 sticks) Unsalted Butter, cold, in small cubes
Whole Milk, as much as needed to bring dough together

For the Filling:
1 lb Basket Cheese or Ricotta Cheese
3 Eggs, beaten +1 Egg, beaten for the egg wash
4 Hard-boiled Eggs
1/4 lb Provolone - Sharp cut in cubes
1/4 lb Mozzarella - cut in cubes
4 tbs Grated Pecorino Romano (such as Locatelli brand) cheese

NOTE: The meats you use are up to you. My mother used pepperoni and salami and I often use those. I always ask the deliperson what "ends" they have available and often use those if I like what they have and how they look. I try to use three meats and Italian sausage.

2 links Italian sausage (sweet or hot) with fennel cooked and sliced

NOTE: I ask the deliperson to cut the meat thick enough (1 inch or so) to allow me to cut it in small cubes.

1/4 lb Prosciutto - cut in small bite-sized cubes
1/4 lb Sopressata - cut in small bite-sized cubes
1/4 lb Mortadella - cut in small bite-sized cubes

Fresh black pepper, as desired

Prepare the Dough:

1. In a stand mixer, add the flour, salt and the butter cut in cubes.
2. Let the flour absorb all the butter. Add the eggs and let them mix well.
3. Add enough milk (about 1/4 + Cups) until you have a firm ball of dough.
4. Let it rest.

Prepare the Filling:

1. Cut all the meats and cheeses in small cubes and put in a large bowl.
2. Add the grated Pecorino Romano and mix.
3. Add the beaten eggs and mix.
4. Add the ricotta (or basket cheese) and mix well.  Add fresh black pepper as desired. 
5. Set aside.

Assemble the Sausage Pie:

1. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees F
2. Butter and flour a 9" springform pan.
3. Cut a little less than 1/3 of the dough and set aside. This is for the top.
4. With a rolling pin, roll the large piece of dough into a circle big enough to cover the springform pan and go up the side. Make sure it is thin.
5. Place the dough over the springform pan so that it drapes over the sides of the pan.
6. Add the filling and spread it evenly.
7. Add the four whole hard-boiled eggs distributing them evenly around the filling.
8. With a sharp knife, cut the excess dough from around the border of the pan.
9. With the remaining dough, roll it thin and with a ravioli cutter, cut strips  and arrange them crisscross on top of the filling. Alternately, you do not have to make strips and just make another circle to cover the filling. Make sure to cut two or three slits in the middle to allow steam to escape.
10. Brush the strips (or top) with egg wash and bake for about 1 hr 15 mins to 1 hour 25 minutes.
11. Remove from the oven, let rest and cool for at least an hour before removing the side of the springform pan.

- See more at: http://www.cookingwithnonna.com/italian-cuisine/nonnas-pizza-rustica.html#sthash.q9MNwHNM.dpuf