Delicious UK - (04)April 2020

Stickyribsinrhubarb,

gingerandchilli

SERVES6.HANDS-ONTIME 30 MIN,OVEN

TIME 2½ HOURS TO 3 HOURS 10 MIN

Thebeststickyribshangon

a balanceofsweetandsour.Get

itrightandyou’reinfora treat,

butgetitwrongandthedishcan

belacklustre.I’mreplacing

vinegar’saciditywiththetang

ofrhubarb,whichnotonlygives

thedisha sharpedgebutalso

a wonderful fruity depth.

• About2kgorganicpork ribs, cut
  into2-3ribsections


• 225grhubarb (about 2 large
  stalks)


• 1 largethumb-sizepiece fresh
  ginger,finelygrated


• 4 garliccloves,thinlysliced


• 2 freshredchillies,halved,
  deseededandthinlysliced


• 1 tbspcorianderseeds,toasted
  brieflyina drypan,thencrushed


• 3 tbspsoftbrownsugar


• 4 tbspsoysauce


• 125mlapplejuice


• 1 tbsp sesame seeds

1 Heattheovento140°C/120°Cfan/

gas1.Puttheribsina large

roastingdish,ina singlelayerif

possible.Adda smallglassofwater

(about175ml)tothedishand

seasontheribswithsaltand

pepper.Covertheribswithsome

bakingpaper,thencoverthewhole

dishwithfoil,makingsureyouseal

theedgestightlysothesteam

doesn’tescape.Putthetrayinthe

ovenandcookfor2-2½hours.

2 Meanwhilemakethesauce.Slice

therhubarbinto0.5cmpiecesand

putthemina bowlwiththeginger,

garlic,chillies,crushedcoriander

seeds,sugar,soysauce,applejuice

andsesameseeds.Mixwell.

3 Removetheribsfromtheoven,

thentakethefoilandbakingpaper

offthedish– theribmeatshould

belovelyandtenderbynow.

Increasetheoventemperature

to190°C/170°Cfan/gas5.

4 Spoonthesauceovertheribs,

makingsureyoucoatthem,thenput

thedishbackintheoven,uncovered,

andbakefor30-40minutes.The

saucewillbegintothickenasthe

rhubarbbreaksupandtheapple

juicereduces.Checktheribsevery

10-15minutes,spooningoverthe

sauceasit thickens.Whenit’srich

andsticky,removetheribsfromthe

ovenandleavetorestfor10–15

minutesbeforeserving.

PERSERVING340kcals,18gfat

(6.2gsaturated),31.8gprotein,

12gcarbs(11.2g sugars), 1.6g salt,

1.2g fibre

NEXT

MONTH

Geta sneak

previewofGill's

outstanding book

lEarlyasparaguscanbefoundhereand

there.Lookforthefresheststemsyoucan

find,butdon’tworryif they’reproving

elusive;theseasonhasn’tkickedinfully.

lRadishesandlettuceandother

springtimetreatsstarttoappearinApril.

lWoodpigeonis plentifulandingoodshape

fromAprilonwards;it doesexceptionally

well on farmers’ young crop shoots.

lSeatroutis inseason,andif you’relucky

thefirstofthemackerelmightstartrunning

nearthecoast.Keepa keen eye on the

fishmonger’sslab.

lPurplesproutingbroccoliisontheway

outbutthat’swhatmakesit sospecial.We

wouldn’tappreciateit if it wasalwayshere.

lMakethemostofchicoryandofcourse

wild garlic – they’ll both be gone soon.

KNOWYOURSEASONSSAYHELLO,WAVEGOODBYE

ForcedrhubarbtendstowinduparoundApril,butbythentheoutdoor-grownstuff

iswellunderway,sofansofthisvibrantvegcanrelax.Herearesomeingredients

we’ll be greeting enthusiastically and others we’ll be saying goodbye to this month

• 200gunrefinedcaster or
  granulatedsugar


• 150ml cider vinegar

YOU’LLALSONEED...

• Pestleandmortar


• Blenderorfoodprocessor


• 500mlsterilisedbottleorjar
  (orseveralsmallerjars);search
  ‘howtosterilisejars’at
  deliciousmagazine.co.uk.

1 Putthestaranise,coriander
seeds,mustardseeds,black
peppercornsandclovesina small
drypansetovera lowheat.Toast
thespicesgently,shakingthepan
occasionally,untilthey’refragrant.
2 Tipthespicesintoa pestleand
mortar,thencrushtoa finetexture.
Puta largeheavy-basedpanover
a mediumheatandaddtheoil.
Whenit’shot,addtherhubarb
andbeetrootalongwiththeonion,
garlic,bayandgingerandstirwell.
Cookthevegetablesfor6–8minutes
untilsoftening,thenaddthe
crushedspicesandcook for a
further2 minutes.
3 Nextaddthesugarandvinegar
andenoughwaterjusttocoverthe
veg.Bringeverythingtoa simmer,
thencookuncoveredfor35-40
minutes.Takethepanofftheheat,
removethebayleavesandleave
tocoolfora fewminutes.
4 Ladlethecontentsofthepan
intoa blenderorfoodprocessor,
thenwhizztoa smoothvelvety
texture.Tipthepuréebackintothe
pan,setovera mediumheatand
bringbacktoa simmer.Cookthe
ketchupuntilit’sniceandthick.
Tasteandadjustthebalanceof
acidityandsweetnessif youthink
itneedsit (butit shouldn’t).
5 Spoonorladletheketchupintoa
cleansterilisedbottle/jar(usea
funnelif youhaveonetomakethe
joblessmessy),thensealwhilehot.
Storeina cooldarkplaceand,once
opened,refrigerate– theketchup
willkeepwellforupto2 months.
PER40GPORTION35kcals,0.4gfat
(tracesaturated),0.3gprotein,
7.2gcarbs(7.1g sugars), trace salt,
0.6g fibre

what’s good now.