Sticky Pork Ribs Marinated in Black Vinegar, Muscovado and Spices

One of the most exciting books to come out last year was Angela Clutton's much awarded The Vinegar Cupboard which not only explains the origin of different vinegars and their culinary uses but contains some excellent recipes.

There's a fascinating section on wine vinegar but I've picked this one based on Chinese black vinegar because it sounds so very delicious.

Angela writes: Ribs marinated in Chinese black vinegar are a far cry from the tough, chewy spare ribs too often found in Chinese restaurants. The vinegar gives intensity to the marinade and the glaze, and it tenderises the meat gorgeously. A feast. And one to be shared with people who you don’t mind having sticky fingers with.

Ask your butcher to prepare the racks by removing the thin film of membrane on one side. Or you can do it yourself by using a knife to lift up one edge and peeling it off. Note that these are racks of spare ribs from the loin of the pig, not from its shoulder.

Sticky Pork Ribs Marinated in Black Vinegar, Muscovado and Spices

serves 4

juice of 1 orange (don’t throw away the fruit’s outer shells)
4 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar
6 tablespoons dark muscovado sugar
1 teaspoon English mustard
1 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 racks of pork spare ribs, cut in half to create about 5 or 6 ribs per portion
4 bay leaves
4 sprigs of rosemary
5 garlic cloves, unpeeled salt

To create the marinade, combine the orange juice, black vinegar, sugar, mustard, fennel seeds and cloves with a good pinch of salt and mix well.

Sit the rib racks in a roasting tin. You might need to use two, depending on the size of your racks and tins; if you do, just make sure everything is spread evenly across both tins and racks. Rub the marinade all over the racks and sit a bay leaf and a sprig of rosemary under each portion. Cut the reserved orange shells in half and put those into the tin too. Set aside for 5 hours – in the fridge if your kitchen is warm – turning the ribs in the marinade a few times.

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 150°C/130°C Fan/Gas Mark 2. Add the whole, unpeeled garlic cloves to the tin alongside the rib racks, rolling them in the marinade. Cover the tin and bake for 21⁄2 hours, basting twice, until the meat on the racks is nicely tender. Dig out and discard the orange shells, garlic, bay and rosemary. Turn the oven up to 190°C/170°C Fan/ Gas Mark 5.

Using a pastry brush, spread the marinade that is in the base of the tin all over the racks. Return to the oven, uncovered for about 25 minutes so the ribs become sticky, turning the racks twice. When the racks are a glossy, sticky, rich brown colour, take them out and let them cool a bit before serving. You need to be able to hold them in order to rip them apart satisfyingly.

VINEGAR VARIATION

Chinese black vinegar really is best here, but a balsamic or rich sherry vinegar could work too.

What to drink: The vinegar and sugar in this recipe don't make it the easiest dish to match but I reckon I'd go for a ripe, juicy Australian grenache.

Recipe from The Vinegar Cupboard by Angela Clutton (Bloomsbury Absolute, £26) Photography © Polly Webster

Summer gooseberry and raspberry upside-down cake

If you're looking for the perfect summer dessert to make for friends try Rosie Birkett's Summer gooseberry and raspberry upside-down cake from her lovely book The Joyful Home Cook.

This juicy upside-down cake is reminiscent of macaroons and Turkish delight, with rose water-laced clouds of whipped cream, baked summer fruit and almond and coconut sponge. Pairing tart gooseberries with raspberries gives it a sweet, sour and textural contrast with pockets of moist fruit keeping every mouthful interesting. The sponge can easily be made ahead and topped with the cream and flower petals just before serving.

Summer gooseberry and raspberry upside-down cake with clouds of rose water cream

Serves 4–6 (depending on greed)

For the cake

butter, for greasing

50g flaked almonds

250g raspberries

250g gooseberries, washed and any little dry brown tails pinched off

100g plain flour

2 tsp baking powder pinch of fine salt

100g ground almonds

100g desiccated coconut

4 eggs

120g golden caster sugar 1

00ml whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp olive oil

rose petals or other edible flowers, to serve

For the rose water cream

400ml double cream

1 tbsp golden caster sugar

3 tsp rose water

Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6, grease a round 22cm cake tin and line it with baking parchment.

Scatter half the flaked almonds over the base of the cake tin, followed by the berries and the rest of the almonds.

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt and ground almonds into a bowl, add the desiccated coconut and stir to combine.

Put the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on medium speed for a few minutes until frothy, then whisk in the milk, vanilla extract and olive oil. Alternatively, use a bowl and an electric hand-held whisk. Fold the frothy egg mix into the dry ingredients to make a thick but wet batter. Pour this over the berries and bake in the oven for 35–40 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the cake tin, then turn it out onto a plate, with the gooseberries on top.

Using a balloon whisk and elbow grease, or very gingerly with a stand mixer, whip the cream with the caster sugar until it reaches soft, floppy peaks (keeping a close eye on it so that you don’t over-whip it). When it’s almost at the perfect soft consistency, add the rose water and mix it through. Pile the rose water cream on top of the cake and scatter with rose petals or other edible flowers.

What to drink: A light dessert wine like a young Sauternes or similar sweet white Bordeaux or late harvest sauvignon blanc would work really this. Or, given the tartness of the gooseberries, a moscato d'asti or Clairette de Die.

Extracted from The Joyful Home Cook by Rosie Birkett published by Harper Collins. Photo © Helen Cathcart

Bulgur, herb, walnut and pomegranate salad

Bulgur is a useful grain that you can apparently eat if you're diabetic as I discovered when I was staying with friends in France a while ago. It makes a great base for a simple salad that you can basically adapt to whatever you have in the storecupboard and fridge.

We ate it with barbecued lamb - it’s ideal as a BBQ side - but you could equally well serve it as a veggie or vegan main. Feel free to substitute whatever you’ve got handy. Some snipped dried apricots would be good if you don’t have a pomegranate, for instance.

Serves 4-6

3 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil

3-4 shallots or 2 larger banana shallots, peeled and sliced

125g bulgur wheat (I used a pack from the Waitrose Love Life range)

2-3 tomatoes, skinned, seeded and diced

1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

2 sticks of celery, stringed and diced

2 tbsp salad dressing (I used a ready-made Maille vinaigrette with nut oil and red peppers that happened to be handy)

4-5 heaped tbsp chopped or torn herbs - I didn’t have any parsley so I used celery leaves, basil, mint and a bit of coriander,

75g walnut halves or pieces broken up into smaller pieces. Or substitute pine nuts

The seeds from half a pomegranate

1 tsp pomegranate molasses diluted with 1 tsp warm water

Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the sliced shallots for 4-5 minutes until they’re beginning to brown at the edges. Tip in the bulgar and twice the volume of boiling water. Stir and simmer over a moderate heat until all the liquid is absorbed. Turn the heat down a bit towards the end to stop it burnng. Tip the grain into a shallow dish and spread it out.

While the bulgur is cooling prepare your veg. Once the grains are cool, tip the tomatoes, cucumber and celery into the salad and toss with the salad dressing. Mix in most of the herbs, nuts and pomegranate seeds leaving a few to top the salad. Sprinkle over the remainder and drizzle over the diluted pomegranate molasses

What to drink

Because we ate this with lamb we drank a cinsault - the Mas des Chimères oeillade but you could equally well drink a rosé

Asparagus and ricotta tart with herb pastry

This unusual quiche comes from Great British Bakeoff star Flora Shedden's really charming cookbook Gatherings

Flora writes: "This tart is a beautiful fresh spring bake. It is much lighter than a traditional quiche due to the mixture of ricotta and crème fraîche.

You can use dried herbs, but I really recommend having pots of fresh ones dotted around the house. They are easy to maintain and really lift dishes like this.

The pastry can be used in any savoury tart or quiche for something a bit different to a regular shortcrust.

For the pastry

100g (3½oz) cold unsalted butter, cubed
150g (5½oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting
40g (1½oz) wholemeal flour
10g (¼oz) cornflour
2 teaspoons chopped fresh herbs (such as basil, thyme and sage)
2–4 tablespoons milk
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the filling

250g (9oz) asparagus, chopped diagonally into thirds
100g (3½oz) peas or shelled broad beans
200g (7oz) ricotta cheese
100ml (3½fl oz) milk
100g (3½oz) crème fraiche
2 eggs
3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley, chives, mint)
75g (2¾oz) spring onions, finely sliced
75g (2¾oz) Parmesan cheese, grated
50g (1¾oz) pine nuts
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the garnish
chopped fresh herbs (such as purple basil, parsley and chives), optional

Put all the ingredients for the pastry bar the milk in a food processor. Blitz until combined, then blitz in the milk 1 tablespoon at a time. Alternatively, rub the butter into the flours until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, stir in the herbs, gradually add the milk, then knead gently until the mixture comes together. Once the pastry dough is smooth, wrap it in clingfilm and refrigerate for a minimum of 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF), Gas Mark 4.

Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the asparagus pieces for no more than 3 minutes. Scoop them out of the water and immediately plunge them into a bowl of cold water. Cook the peas or broad beans in the same water for no more than 1 minute. Drain and add these to the cold water.

In a bowl, whisk the ricotta, milk, crème fraîche, eggs, herbs and some seasoning together.

Roll out the pastry dough on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of 2–3mm (¹⁄16–¹⁄8 inch). Transfer the dough to a 23cm (9 inch) loose-bottomed tart tin and gently press it into the edges of the tin. Run the rolling pin across the top edges of the tin to cut away the overhanging pastry.

Drain the vegetables and pat them dry. Scatter the sliced spring onion over the pastry with half the grated Parmesan. Now add the vegetables, reserving a few of the asparagus tips. Carefully pour the egg mixture on top. Don’t worry if the vegetables all move around – this is fine.

Top with the remaining grated cheese, the pine nuts and the reserved asparagus tips. Bake for 35–45 minutes until the filling is set and the pastry is golden brown. Garnish with a sprinkling of chopped fresh herbs, then serve.

What to drink: A Loire sauvignon blanc like Sancerre or Pouilly Fumé would be perfect with this. Or an English Bacchus white wine.

From Gatherings by Flora Shedden which is published by Mitchell Beazley at £25 (www.octopusbooks.co.uk). Image © Laura Edwards.