The Passover Feast

Just a few years ago, I had virtually no knowledge of Jewish customs. I've learned a lot since then, and Passover is always one of the biggest opportunities to do so. During Passover, the tradition is to rid the house of chametz, or leavened grain products, replacing them with matzo. Historically, Ashkenazi Jews also avoid beans, corn, and rice (kitniyot). In an apparently controversial move, the rabbis lifted the ban on these items this year. I'll leave commentary on this issue to those who know more.

Our seder plate, pictured above, features (clockwise from top) horseradish, charoset (a fruit and nut mixture), parsley (the bitter herbs), an egg, orange, and bone in the center. Usually, it is a lamb bone to represent a sacrificial lamb. Ironically, I ate some lamb shank for lunch that day, leftover from dinner the previous night. Not thinking, I threw the bone away, so we used a chicken leg instead.

The passover feast commenced with matzo ball soup, pictured with the blood of the firstborn. Ten drops of wine signify the ten plagues in Egypt.

Like last year, I made chopped liver, but this time with a twist. Instead of schmaltz, I used bacon fat, which I had on hand. I couldn't resist adding some heathen flair to my version, and it was just as tasty. We also had gefilte fish, shown above sliced with some horseradish. If you can get gefilte fish as a frozen log, it is recommended over the jarred kind.

I hope to continue the Passover tradition on No Free Lunch in the coming years. Maybe I'll eventually be allowed to make a brisket!

Soy & Vinegar Braised Spare Ribs

Long-time readers will surely know I am a big fan of stews and braises. Normally, when I make ribs, I go with back ribs and grill them. I was inspired by Mark Bittman's "3 Ways to Do Ribs" to try braising spare ribs. I created this dish using his basic technique and a flavor profile inspired by Pei Mei's various stew recipes. This turns out to be a winning combination. Her stew recipes seem to skip the time-honored step (at least in French cooking) of browning the meat before adding the liquid. The meat falls right off the bone, and the vinegar gives it a tangy kick. I originally developed this recipe using pork shoulder roast cut into cubes, which is also a good option. I suspect a beef chuck roast would also work well. 

It's time to talk about soy sauce. Until recently, I haven't given the topic much thought and basically used green cap Kikkoman for everything. I'm not an expert on the subject, but I have switched to using a proper Chinese soy sauce. For this, I used Pearl River Bridge light soy sauce, available for a few dollars at Asian grocery stores. I'm also trying out different vinegar brands. For this recipe, I used half and half Kong Yen (my usual brand) and the more pungent Gold Plum. I like both, but find the Gold Plum needs to be cut a little.

Ingredients

• 2 lb. spare ribs (use the larger end of the rack)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs grated ginger
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup Chinese light soy sauce
• 1/2 cup black vinegar
• 1 Tbs sesame oil
• 2 Tbs sherry/rice wine
• 1 tsp five spice powder
• 1 Tbs sugar
• Vegetable oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Cut the meat into individual ribs (I had 8 pieces). Heat a little vegetable oil in a dutch oven or other oven-safe pan with a lid on medium high heat. In batches, brown the ribs on two sides. I found it easiest to brown the cut sides, but this may depend on your ribs. Set the ribs aside.

Turn the heat down to medium. Briefly saute the garlic, ginger, and green onion. Add all remaining ingredients and mix together. Return the ribs to the pan, in a single layer, if possible. Turn heat up and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and transfer to the oven. Bake for about 1 hour.

Remove the ribs and set aside. There will likely be a lot of grease that rendered out during cooking floating on top of the braising liquid. The easiest way to get rid of this is by making the ribs a day ahead of time and refrigerating over night. The fat will then be easy to scrape off, and you can reheat the ribs by putting the whole dish back in the oven. Otherwise, tilt the pan and use a spoon to carefully skim off the grease. Drizzle some braising liquid on the ribs and serve. I served with steamed rice and stir fried napa cabbage.