Asian-Style Short Ribs

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            FOOD FUNNY
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Rosemary Zwick of Cape Town, South Africa doesn't say whether this
is a true food funny or not, but it sure sounds like one.

A man was watching TV as his wife was cutting the grass on a hot
summer day. He finally worked up the energy to go out and ask his
wife what was for supper. The wife was quite irritated about him
sitting in the air-conditioned house all day while she did all the
work, so she scolded him. "I can't believe you're asking me about
supper right now! Imagine I'm out of town and go inside and figure
dinner out yourself."

So he went back in the house and fixed himself a big steak with
potatoes, garlic bread, and tall glass of iced tea. The wife walked
in about the time he was finishing up and asked him, "You fixed
something to eat? So where is mine?"

"Huh? I thought you were out of town."

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            TODAY'S RECIPE
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Although I love ribs for their tender, flavorful meat, I rarely order
them in restaurants because they are almost invariably coated with a
thick red paste made primarily of sugar. I know that everything
tastes better with sugar on it, but do you really want to put sugar on
everything you eat? Think of the calories. I prefer preparations
that rely more on the judicious use of seasonings rather than a candy
coating, as in this recipe.

Asian-Style Short Ribs

2 Tbs (30 ml) vegetable oil
3-4 lbs (1.5-2 Kg) meaty beef short ribs
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1 onion, chopped
3-6 cloves garlic, chopped
1-inch (2 cm) piece of ginger, cut into thick slices
5 whole star anise
1 cup (250 ml) water
1/2 cup (125 ml) soy sauce
1 Tbs (15 ml) rice wine vinegar

Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over high heat. Season the ribs
with pepper and brown in batches on all sides. Transfer the ribs to a
platter and saute the onion and garlic in the same pot until tender
but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and
bring to a boil. Add the ribs back to the pot and reduce the heat to
low. Simmer tightly covered, turning the ribs once or twice, until
the meat is almost falling off the bone, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Transfer
the ribs to a serving platter and reduce the liquid in the pot until
it is thick and syrupy. Remove and discard the ginger and star anise
and spoon the sauce over the ribs. Serves 4 to 6.
Received on Wed Apr 27 06:25:24 2005