thursday night smackdown

People who need ribs are the luckiest people in the world.

The only thing better than beer-braised short ribs are more beer-braised short ribs.

We had lots of rib parts from Saturday night’s ribstravaganza.* Rather than hunching over the kitchen counter and gnawing at the bones like starved vultures, I decided to try and turn them into a respectable dinner. After picking the first two shreds off the bone, I realized that this task would involve more congealed beef tallow under the fingernails than I had anticipated. But I had already started and my fingernails were already befouled, so I stuck with it.

You don’t bring me cauliflowers anymore.

While I was separating the edible rib meat from the visible representation of the lipids currently bobbing along my bloodstream following the blue cheese parsnip-potato mash, I cranked the oven up to 475 to roast some cauliflower and onions. Cauliflower is one of the more maligned winter vegetables. I declare to you that cauliflower is much, much more than broccoli’s albino cousin. When roasted at high heat, it caramelizes and takes on a pleasant nuttiness. The florets retain their shapes nicely, and don’t turn into caulimush. The roasted onions and their toasty sweetness make a nice partner, and their flavor infuses the cauliflower during the cooking process. Lots of bang for the buck, and dead easy.

I also put a pot of stock on to boil for some barley, having decided to combine that with my veg to create a pilaf-style barley and cauliflower dish, to top with the shredded rib meat reheated in the leftover sauce.

I had a little dreidel, I made it out of ribs.

There was enough for dinner for two and for a perfect little leftover lunch for me tomorrow. The roasted cauliflower is always a favorite and the ribs were excellent, their flavor having deepened even further as they sat in the fridge.

*If I ever have a washtub band, it will be named Ribstravaganza.

Roasted Cauliflower with Onions
1 head cauliflower
1 large onion
2-3 tbsp olive oil
s&p

Preheat your over to 475; if your oven has a convection setting, turn that on. Hack the c-flower into florets that are the size of your choosing (larger florets will maintain their structural integrity a bit better as they roast, and they can stay in the oven a bit longer and take on more color). Ditto with the onions. Toss your chopped veg with the olive oil, salt and pepper, and arrange in a single layer in a roasting pan. Roast for 35-45 minutes tossing once or twice, until the c-flower is tender and both veggies have taken on some color. If you need an extra color boost at the end, put the veg under the broiler for a few minutes.

If you’d like to toss your veg with barley (a tasty meal in and of itself), bring 3 cups of your chosen liquid (water, stock, or a combo) to a boil. Pour in 1 cup of pearled barley and add salt (if you use stock, taste it to make sure you’re not adding too much additional salt). Bring back to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat and leave the pot covered for 5-10 minutes. Eat.