Berkshire native Alana Chernila, mother of two, and author of the cookbook, The Homemade Pantry: 101 Foods You Can Stop Buying & Start Making (Clarkson Potter), dispenses change and cooking ideas to readers and friends. She shares her peak-of-the-season recipes with Rural Intelligence to help us make the most of what’s growing in our region. Her first cookbook has achieved top-seller status, and Chernila has a new one in the works; tentatively titled “Meals from the Homemade Pantry," due out in 2015. My grandmother was a vegetarian who ate ribs. She never cooked them at home, as my grandfather was a vegetarian who did not eat ribs, but whenever she had the opportunity to sit down in front of a messy stack of ribs, she would roll up the sleeves of her button down shirt and get to work. There was not an ounce of squeamishness in her when it came to ribs -- she would suck everything off those bones, gnaw on them a bit, and then go back to being an avid vegetarian. It was her way. The vegetarian part didn't pass on to me, but the love of ribs is in my genes. Even to this day, I can't eat ribs without thinking of my grandmother, totally blissed out over the experience of it all.
Orange Soy Braised Pork Ribs adapted from Gourmet, January 2005 (serves 3-4) 2 1/2 pounds pork ribs, separated 2/3 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice 1/2 cup soy sauce 1 tablespoon sugar 2 tablespoons grated ginger a tablespoon minced garlic 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground pepper 1 cup water Preheat oven to 325°F and place rack in the middle of the oven. Sprinkle ribs with salt. Bring orange juice, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, garlic, and pepper to a boil in roasting pan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add ribs to the pan, using tongs and turning to coat, then cover pan with a lid or foil. Braise ribs in oven until very tender, about 2 to 3 hours. Before Serving: Reduce oven temperature to 200°F. Transfer ribs to a baking dish, arranging them in one layer, and keep warm in oven. Make glaze by boiling liquid, uncovered, stirring occasionally until syrupy and reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 15 minutes. Brush glaze generously on ribs. Reprinted with permission from Eatingfromthegroundup.com. All text and photos copyright 2008-13 by Alana Chernila.
