This was some good stuff, my friends. I encourage you to make these ribs along with my preceding recipe for
goat cheese/vidalia onion laced grits. Maybe for Easter dinner this coming weekend? I based these ribs somewhat on
this recent recipe from the New York Times, but it departs in a couple key places, as you'll see. I used 2 pounds of ribs here; this serves 2 people happily. If you're having company, double the amounts called for in the rib sauce. For the ribs themselves, you should increase to at least 5 pounds for 4 people. For the grits, you can just straight double the amount called for in the
recipe. Anyway!
Get you some baby back ribs and lay them out on a long sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil...
Salt and pepper them on both sides, then drizzle on 2 tablespoons olive oil.
If you made the grits before, you should have some baby vidalia onion greens left over. Slice them in half, long ways, and lay out over the ribs, along with 4 cloves of garlic, slivered. If you don't have the green spring onion tops, you can use small bunches of chive instead.
Now let's pack 'em up right. Fold the long end of the foil over the ribs...
And crimp the edges down to form a packet. A packet of ribs!
Put in a big pan and roast at 350 for 30 minutes, then turn the heat down to 250. They will cook for about 1 1/2 - 2 hours, so you've got some time on your hands now.
Here's how to make the sauce: measure 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar, put in a pot and bring it to a boil, allowing it to reduce slightly for a minute or so over high heat.
Stir in 3 tablespoons dijon mustard and 1 cup white wine until smooth, then add in 1/4 cup ketchup and a couple dashes tabasco. Let it all come to a simmer.
Now! You need some cocoa nibs. I bought these on impulse a while back at the DeKalb Farmers Market. They weren't expensive so I didn't worry that I had no idea what to do with them.
They are the crunchy hulls of the cocoa bean. I nibbled on one raw--they're not bitter, as you might expect from unsweetened cocoa.
I seriously can't believe the flavor though--it adds something deep and smokey to the sauce! I ended up putting them in granola this week too--the texture is awesome. I can see a lot of potential uses for them so get ready to see them again in the next month or so.
I used about 1/4 cup for the sauce and smashed them with a rolling pin to break them down a bit.
Add the cocoa nibs into the sauce along with 1/2 cup brown sugar.
Here's where you can use up the rest of that baby vidalia onion.
Dice the white bulb from 1 small baby vidalia. If you don't have no baby vidalia onions, just substitute with 2 big shallots, diced.
Add it to the sauce and bring it all to boil, then turn down to simmer for 30 min, stirring occasionally.
When the ribs are done they should be soft and pulling off the bone. Get them out of the oven and unwrap.
Lay them out on a baking sheet and let them cool for just a couple minutes.
After the 30 minutes of cooking, your sauce should be reduced and pretty thick.
Baste the ribs on all sides with the sauce.
You can broil them for a few minutes, or I like better to turn the oven up to 475, let them cook in there for 5 minutes, then re-baste them and cook for a few minutes more so the sauce really gets all into everything.
They're so good. It's a deep flavored sauce and the meat is so tender. All you need now is a scoop of goat cheese grits...
And the ribs on top. Total heaven. Enjoy!
These look like candy but they're perfect for a savory first course! And, ok, maybe they taste a little like candy too since the beets and green garlic are roasted to sweetness and topped with a tangy lemon-honey drizzle.
I used 4 smallish beets, no bigger than my punching fist. 
And for a comparison, my punching fist is smaller than a spaniel's head, just so it's all perfectly clear.
Prick the beets lightly all over with a fork and let them roast at 400 for about 30 - 45 minutes. It will depend on size, but since you now know to look for beets smaller than a small dog's head, I think it will be fine.
While they are roasting, peel the outermost layer from 3 bulbs of green garlic and trim the ends.
After beets have a roasting head start of about 20 minutes, go ahead and add in the whole bulbs of green garlic plus 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2-3 tablespoons white wine (or stock or water) and some salt and pepper. Pop them back into the oven to finish out their time.
Meanwhile you can make the sauce to drizzle over top. Half a lemon, 1 tablespoon each of honey and olive oil, plus just a pinch of grated fresh ginger--maybe a teaspoon or less. You can omit this if you don't have fresh ginger root on hand--it's totally not worth it to run out and buy specially for such a tiny amount. I keep mine in the freezer so I always have some handy, by the way. Just chop it up into 1" chunks and freeze the pieces in a ziploc.
This honey is still the best I've ever had--we got it from the farmer's market up in Blue Ridge last year... that has my vote for our most enjoyable mini vacation of all time.
Mix up the honey, lemon juice, olive oil and ginger in a little dish with a teeny bit of salt and pepper.
Your beets are roasted and soft!
Let them cool slightly so you don't burn your paws, then peel them--the skins should slide right off. Slice into thin rounds.
Stack the rounds and top with a roasted green garlic bulb...
And drizzle with the honey-lemon sauce.
Pretty and dramatic! I like it.
