snow day cooking continued: super duper ribs and white wine and mushroom orzo

on my last post i mentioned how i had a snow day in january and decided to bake some bread. on that snow day, or snowcalypse 2011 as it was known, IM had to go to work. so being the rad girlfriend i can sometimes be i decided to cook a nice hearty meal for when he got home. and that is how i ended up with with this dish of super duper, yes, i said it… super duper ribs and white wine and mushroom orzo!

first i will post the recipes in two parts because the marinate recipe has a lot of ingredients and it should be done at least 3 hours before starting to cook.

INGREDIENTS FOR RIBS:
1tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp whole dry oregano
1tbsp olive oil
1 1/2tbsp paprika
ground pepper
1tsp garlic powder
1tbsp dry rosemary
1tsp cayenne pepper
1tbsp apple cider vinegar
2tbsp honey
1 1/2lb packet of ribs

INSTRUCTIONS:
first start by mixing the dry rub. mix the rosemary, garlic powder, cayenne pepper…

paprika and dry oregano.

mix that well and add about a tsp of ground pepper.

for the wet ingredients: mix the olive oil, honey

the vinegar…

and soy sauce.

mix that well. at this point i felt like something was missing. i opened the fridge and started looking around and then saw…

the mustard!

of course, mustard would go great in this marinade!

i used dijon, which has a nice kick to it.

add about a teaspoon and a bit.

mix the wet ingredients well so there are no mustard clumps.

wash the ribs well and get them ready to season.

start with the dry ingredients. rub the ribs well and make sure to cover all of the surfaces with the dry rub.

don’t forget the back!

it should be coated well with the dry rub. if you find that you run out (i didn’t) just mix a bit more and add it.

next, poke holes into the ribs using a fork. just a few holes here and there.

and then pour the wet marinade.

make sure to cover well and place the meat bone side up.

let it marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours.

once you are ready to cook place the ribs on a baking dish. add the leftover marinade to the bottom of the pan so it doesn’t dry out. cover with foil paper and cook for an hour and half on a 300°F oven. test with a fork to make sure it is cooked throughout before serving.

the meat will be ready when the juices run clear and the fork goes in and out easily.

once you are done cooking wrap them in foil paper and let them sit until you are ready to serve.

and now, for the orzo!

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup of heavy cream
2 cups of white wine
2 garlic cloves
1 cup of mushrooms
1tsp of olive oil
salt and pepper
1 cup of chicken or vegetable stock
1 tbsp of butter
1 small red or white onion
a few springs of parsley
parmesan cheese*

*optional

INSTRUCTIONS:
add the butter and oil to a hot pot. add the chopped onions and let them sweat out on low heat.

wash the mushrooms and give them a quick, rough chop.

add the mushrooms and chopped garlic to the pot once the onions start getting translucent.

add a sprinkle of salt to help the mushrooms let out liquid.

add the chicken stock (or vegetable stock for vegetarian) and wine.

add the cream.

mix and cook uncovered on medium heat.

once the mixture starts to boil add 2 cups of uncooked orzo.

lower the heat a bit and cook uncovered until most of the water evaporates.

mix the orzo to make sure it doesn’t stick too much to the bottom of the pot.

chop about 1/4 cup of fresh parsley and mix it into the orzo along with a few shakes of pepper.

if you want, add some parmesan cheese as well. mix it well and serve.

serve the orzo with the ribs and some bread if you have it.

the ribs were fantastic! all of the spices seeped in and made for some seriously tasty ribs. they were also super moist and falling off the bone tender.