Country Style Pork Ribs and Cabbage

October 2, 2015 / featherheadlady / Leave a comment

I think this is kind of a comfort dish. Something your mom or grandma would have fixed for supper. My grandmother (Mummu) used to make a boiled dinner which was very similar in taste except she would add potatoes and carrots. There is definitely nothing gourmet or exotic about boiled dinner but it’s a hearty meal. I generally make country ribs with some kind of barbeque sauce and I might serve them with some boiled, buttered cabbage and red skin potatoes. But I decided to use my slow cooker aka crockpot and let this go all day. A slow cooker going always makes the house smell good to me, especially when I have sauerkraut or cabbage cooking.

Ingredients:

2 pounds or so of pork country ribs

1 medium head green cabbage

1 large white onion

1 or 2 tart, firm apples (I used honey crisp but granny smith is best)

1/2 cup cider vinegar

2 T brown sugar

1 cup chicken broth

olive oil for sautéing onions and searing ribs

garlic powder

salt and coarse black pepper

Core and slice the cabbage and slice the onion.

Peel, core and slice your apple(s).

Heat some olive oil, about a tablespoon, in a heavy skillet and saute the onions until they are tender and golden.

While the onions are cooking put the cabbage and apple in the slow cooker.

Generously season both sides of the ribs with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add the onion to the slow cooker and sear both sides of the seasoned ribs in the same skillet. Add a little more olive oil if necessary.

Put the ribs in the slow cooker atop the cabbage, apples and onions.

Deglaze your skillet with the cider vinegar scraping up any browned bits. Add the brown sugar and broth to the skillet. Remove from the heat and pour over the ribs in the slow cooker. Set the slow cooker on low and let it do the rest of the work for you. I let it cook for approximately 8 hours. The pork was fall off the bones tender and the cabbage was perfect.

I served it with sweet potatoes whipped up with a little cream cheese, brown sugar and a shake of cinnamon.

I loved it! My husband got out the bottle of steak sauce. He likes things a little more kicked up. So next time I think I’ll go back to saucing the ribs and boiling the cabbage.

NOTE: You could also add carrots and potatoes to the slow cooker and have your entire supper in one pot. More like my grandmother’s boiled dinner. The slow cooker will look like it’s too full but the cabbage cooks down significantly.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

March 16, 2015 / featherheadlady / 3 Comments

It’s that time of year. Saint Patty’s Day. The day many of us enjoy the ultimate boiled dinner. For years a very good friend hosted a Saint Patty’s Day party and she cooked a lot of corned beef for the occasion. I had made corned beef brisket myself for years before her party but hers was the best I had ever tasted. No mustard required!

Ingredients:

Corned beef (of course)

1 large onion quartered

6-7 whole garlic cloves

1 T red pepper flakes

1 T crushed bay leaves

1 T oregano

1 T basil

1 T coriander seeds

salt and black pepper

…and that little seasoning packet that comes with the corned beef

Put your corned beef in a large Dutch oven or heavy kettle. Pour boiling water to completely cover the meat and bring to a boil over medium high heat.

Once the pot starts to boil, skim the white foam off with a slotted spoon. I know, it looks a little gross. Once you’ve removed and discarded the foam turn the heat down and add the onion and the garlic to the pot.

In a mortar and pestle combine and crush all of the dried herbs and spices and add them to the pot.

I add these after skimming the foam so that I don’t lose a lot of my seasoning in the process.

Add a generous T of salt, cover and simmer over low heat for 5-6 hours. Near the end of the cooking time prepare the vegetables.

Cabbage

Carrots

Red potatoes

Onion

Green Beans

Cut the cabbage into wedges removing the core. Scrub the carrots and cut into thirds. Cut the onion into quarters.

Cut the potatoes, rinse well and trim the green beans.

Remove the meat to a foil lined pan, along with a generous amount of the jus. Seal the foil and keep warm in the oven while the veggies cook.

Add the vegetables to the pot with the broth. Potatoes, carrots, onion, beans and cabbage on top. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer over low heat. Cook until the vegetables are all fork tender. About 45 minutes to an hour. The vegetables pick up the great spicy flavors from the broth.

Remove the meat about 10 minutes before serving. Allow the meat to rest for a few minutes and slice against the grain. Put all the vegetables in a large serving bowl or on a platter and top with the slices of corned beef. Fill up your plate and enjoy!

Serve with a good rye bread and a nice cold Irish beer like Guinness or O’hara’s Irish Wheat. This boiled dinner is a meal in itself and doesn’t need any other side dishes.

Leftovers are great as, well, leftovers. This is one of the meals I think tastes as good or better the next day. Or you can make a corned beef or Ruben sandwich. Maybe some corned beef hash for breakfast. It’s all good! Enjoy. Happy Saint Patty’s Day.

Boiled Dinner

December 15, 2014 / featherheadlady / 2 Comments

Boiled dinner is comfort food. It’s not glamorous or gourmet dining. It’s a dinner my grandmother used to make with pork chops or pork steaks. She probably didn’t put any vegetables or tomatoes in because my grandfather was a meat and potatoes kind of guy. I’m going to make our boiled dinner with Polish sausage. This dish is one of my dad’s favorites and I’m wishing he was here with us to enjoy it. A very simple dish to prepare in one pot. It’s a dish that is flexible and can accommodate to what’s in your fridge or what’s not in your fridge. I’ll give you the basics.

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil

1 medium head of cabbage

1 large onion

3 carrots

2 stalks of celery

5-6 redskin potatoes

3-4 cloves of garlic minced

2 tsp caraway seeds

salt and pepper to taste

1 pound Polish sausage

1 pint stewed tomatoes

4 cups chicken broth

Rough chop the onion, celery and carrots. Heat olive oil in a heavy kettle and sweat the vegetables for 3 minutes or so. Mince the garlic cloves and add to the kettle.

Rough chop the potatoes and rinse them. Add to the other vegetables in the kettle.

Core and rough chop the cabbage and add to the kettle.

Cut the sausage into 1 inch pieces and add to the kettle. Add the caraway seed and salt and pepper to taste. Add tomatoes and chicken broth. Cover the kettle and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Reduce heat. Simmer over low heat for 2 hours or so. Occasionally give it a stir.

Ladle into soup dishes, add a small pat of butter and enjoy with some good bread.

So that’s a boiled dinner. You could substitute pork chops or pork steaks. Cube them and let them cook in the broth. If you prefer andouille or a mild Italian sausage that will work. If you want more vegetables add green beans, parsnips, rutabaga, or turnips.

It’s what’s for dinner.