Whenever pork ribs are on sale, The Hubby and I like to pick up a rack (or two) because…well ribs! There are so many ways to cook them and we stole this recipe directly from my mother-in-law’s kitchen. Savoury, spicy ribs with sweet kabocha squash, aka Japanese pumpkin. My mom and mother in-law have always refereed to this squash as pumpkin, and now it’s been ingrained. I have to be honest, between the ribs and pumpkin, I actually enjoy the pumpkin more. Incredibly soft, the pumpkin is perfect for soaking up all the delicious rib juices and sauce. This dish is also a good make-ahead meal to pack for weekday lunches. In this version, we used spicy bean paste (dou ban jian) so we skipped the chilli pepper. If you’re using regular dou ban jian, a dash of chilli pepper, or a couple of dried peppers add a good kick.

Pork Ribs with Pumpkin

2016-01-19 05:46:01

Serves 6

Pork ribs full of Asian flavours with kabocha squash

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Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

3 hr

Total Time

3 hr 20 min

Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

3 hr

Total Time

3 hr 20 min

Ingredients

1. 1 rack of pork ribs
2. 1 medium kabocha squash / Japanese pumpkin
3. 3 star anise
4. 1 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
5. 3 bay leaves
6. 1 tsp salt
7. 1 tbsp soy sauce
8. 1 tbsp spicy bean paste (doubanjian)
9. 1 tbsp cooking wine

Instructions

1. Cut ribs into single pieces.
2. In a pot large enough to hold all the ribs, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the ribs into the boiling water and bring to a boil again. Let the ribs boil for 3-5 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water.
3. Place the rinsed ribs back into the pot and fill with enough water to cover them. Add the peppercorn, star anise, dried red peppers (optional) and bay leaves. Add salt, soy sauce, doubanjian and cooking wine.
4. Bring the pot to a boil and let simmer for 2-3 hours or until the ribs are tender.
5. Cut the squash into cubes with the skin and microwave for 2-3 minutes. Add the squash to the pot with the ribs and bring everything to a boil one more time before serving.

xiaoEats | Toronto Food Blog http://xiaoeats.com/

Step by Step Photos

Assemble ingredients

Spices

Cut up ribs

Dunk ribs in boiling water and boil ribs for 3-5 mins

Drain ribs and rinse with cold water

Add in spices, salt, soy sauce and doubanjian, bring to a boil and simmer for 2-3 hours or until ribs are tender

Cut pumpkin into cubes and microwave for 2-3 minutes

Add pumpkin to ribs, bring to a boil again and serve

After a morning of ice fishing on Lake Simcoe my friends and I were ready for a big lunch. Some quick Googling led us to Big Bone BBQ, a quick 5 minute drive away from the lake and BBQ seemed to fit the occasion. The restaurant was quiet with a few occupied tables and one server taking care of the entire dining area. We placed our drink orders, including a cup of warm tea, and started to study the menu. We went with a Party Pack of ribs and wings and a pulled pork combo to taste everything. There are so many wing options it was hard to narrow it down to just two. I prefer dry wings and we decided to try the dry cajun along with the original smoked.

All of the food arrived quickly, two platters with ribs and wings, two platters with pulled pork, corn bread, coleslaw and beans and a platter of fries. Of all the BBQ, my favourite were the dry cajun wings. The chicken was tender on the inside, fried crispy on the outside and I loved the seasoning. The original smoked wings were also great and had a nice tangy sauce. Next I liked the ribs, which were fall off the bone, charred and the sauce wasn’t too sweet. The pulled pork however was not the best, a bit dry and way too sweet. I would’ve happily traded the pound of pulled pork for more wings instead. As for the sides, none of them were outstanding and the cornbread was a little disappointing. I did devour their fries, which I believe were Costco fries, they were seasoned and crispy.

Big Bone BBQ has 6 other locations in Ontario in addition to the Barrie outpost, including one in Markham and Woodbridge. I’d definitely check out the Markham location to try a few more wing flavours.

The Toronto Fringe Festival is an annual 10 day festival celebrating independent theatre productions held during the summer. The Fringe movement is international and festivals are held in cities all over the world each year. Theatre shows range from musicals to puppets, emerging artists to festival favourites; the 10 days are packed with presentations and it’s often a juggling act to fit everything in and get a hold of tickets.

My best friend and I were drama students all through high school and today she teaches high school drama so needless to say, it’s impossible to get a hold of her during Fringe each year as she’s usually in line for a play or in a seat of a theatre. I try to attend at least one performance each year but that’s usually the extent of my “Fringe-ing”. This year, when we found out about the Fringe Kitchen Party, I was on board in a heartbeat. Supporting such an amazing event and getting fed by Matt Basile, chef of Fidel Gastro and Lisa Marie, done.

Food: Dinner consisted of a four course meal catered by Matt Basile and cupcakes from Bite Me Bakery. The bulk of dinner was prepared at Lisa Marie restaurant, transported to the venue and plated on site. We started off with a plate of four pickles including carrots, beans and bean sprouts. They were packed with flavours but refreshing and light.

Next up was a generous plating of ribs with a spice rub. The meat easily came off each bone. Smoked salmon tacos were presented, two per plate and with a wedge of lime. I liked the salmon itself and the touch of sesame seeds but didn’t love the taco shells. Mine were a bit floury and might have been better served warm. Before dessert was a light beet salad. I loved this salad, the light bitterness of the fresh greens were cut nicely with the sweet beets and drizzled with a citrus dressing.

By the time dessert arrived, I only had room for one cupcake and it was worth it. The icing wasn’t overly sweet or rich and the cake was moist. Once dinner service was completed, the tables were cleared, the DJ started his set and the space turned into a dance floor. We didn’t stick around too long, but long enough to make room for a couple more cupcakes. I needed to make sure that I had tasted each flavour after all.