I always try to check the New York Times’ Minimalist columns. They’re simple recipes with sophisticated ideas, and this one is no exception. Some of the folks in our house aren’t big on olives, though, so we’ll have to make them cheeseburgers or something. (I include the whole recipe because the fine folks on Times Square have a mistaken idea about this whole web thing.)
Spare Ribs with Olives, Lemon and Rosemary
Time: About 1 hour
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 or 4 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly smashed
2 or 3 sprigs rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 dried red chili
2 pounds pork spare ribs, cut into small pieces if possible, into individual ribs if not
Salt and pepper
1 cup dry white wine or water
1 lemon, washed and sliced as thinly as possible
1 cup oil-cured olives.
Put oil in a deep skillet or casserole over medium-high heat. Add garlic, rosemary, and chili. When they begin to sizzle, add ribs. Brown ribs on both sides, for a total of about 10 minutes, sprinkling lightly with salt and pepper as they cook. Add wine or water and allow it to bubble away for a few seconds, then add lemon and olives.
Cover and adjust heat so mixture simmers as gently as possible. Cook, turning ribs every 10 minutes or so (if mixture threatens to dry out, add a little more liquid). When ribs are tender, after about 30 to 40 minutes of cooking, serve them, with olives, lemon and sauce spooned over them.
Yield: 4 servings.