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Food Thread: Pork Ribs And Bacon...A Match Made In Heaven...And Posole!

Pairing foods can be loads of fun, especially when one stumbles upon an interesting combination that at first glance is sort of odd, but ends up working out really, really well.

In this case it is Broccoli Rabe sauteed with garlic served with pork ribs. It works because...well...both foods taste good, but also because the slight bitterness of the broccoli rabe is a very nice counterpoint to the sweetness of the ribs (I finish my ribs on the grill with a sprinkle of brown sugar or honey and more of my dry rub). it also has textural and color contrast, so it's pretty much a win in every category.

The problem with this sort of overthinking of cooking is that while it appeals to my obsessive-compulsive side, it's also a big waste of time in many cases. I can't think of a vegetable or side that wouldn't go well with pork ribs, and that is true of lots and lots of dishes.

For instance, I think that pork ribs with a side of bacon is an excellent pairing. Or, for that matter, bacon with a side of pork ribs. or you can get really weird and it will still work. Beef ribs with a side of pork ribs!

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Here is my yearly admonition to keep it simple during Thanksgiving. That doesn't mean that you can't make your favorite multi-step green-bean casserole recipe, with home-grown fried onions and heirloom beans and nutmeg you harvested yourself from the South Seas. And by all means make more of everything than you and your entire block can possibly eat in a week.

But the point is to enjoy your friends and family, and getting stuck in the kitchen prevents you from doing just that...unless your horrid second cousin with the goiter and the hard-left politics is coming. In which case...

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Finally! That teasing layabout Jack Sucio who served glorious posole at the recent Texas Moron Meet-up has finally come through with the recipe. Yes...threats of violence were involved, but I will stoop to everything in pursuit of good food, and this was very good food!

Here is a PDF of the recipe, which I have not tested. So if Jack Sucio has left out some vital ingredients or steps just because, then blame him!

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Commenter "Papa Boule" has a couple of suggestions!

Wondering about 2 things possibly you could do:
A pot roast event. I like pot roast. It's so American. (Spare me the Dutch oven and historical references -- we saved pot roast from European corruption and slavery just as we saved Western civilization before those ponces tore it all up with their world wars).

More "dinner for a dime" stuff -- depressing, but with the economic conditions coming in the next 5-10 years (not even the Return of the Trump can fix the mess "FJB & Crew" is putting America in), both useful and necessary.

And he put his money where his mouth is by providing his own pot roast recipe. It's a classic, which is not a criticism. On the contrary, there is a reason why some recipes have survived as classics...because they work!
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I'm one of those stubborn people who refuses to laugh at Seinfeld.

But some of you might, and commenter "Doof" sent this link on the off chance that some of you enjoy the show.

Seinfeld: The 14 Best And Funniest Food Moments From Throughout The Series

I'm being a bit hyperbolic...I guess it is funny at times, but I think it is admired more for being different than for being funny.

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One of the maddeningly irritating things about too many food writers is their insistence on reporting food trends as if those trends are the arbiters of good food.
Congrats to Avocado, You're Allowed to Be Normal Now
Gee...thanks for the permission to treat avocados just like we treat every other food. This really is a silly article, but it exposes the conceit of food writers who think they drive taste, rather than the more obvious and rational explanation that as ingredients and techniques are discovered by professional and amateur cooks, we decide whether we like or dislike them.

Kale...I'm looking at you!...or dozens of other foods pushed relentlessly by desperate writers and editors. They can criticize avocados all they want, but there is a reason people eat them; they taste good.

[Hat Tip: redc1c4]

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This is from a mostly-mail-order Italian deli that has pretty good prices on some things, and an amazing selection of stuff that can be difficult to find. But I'm not touting them for that, because many people have access to products via the internet that were impossible to find just a few years ago.

Here are some fun recipes for fall using pasta...something I don't find autumnal, but hey, whatever floats your boat.

10 Cheesy Baked Pasta Dishes for Fall

There are some hipster ingredients that irritate me just a bit. Kale. KALE? What the hell is kale doing in pasta?

But for the most part these are solid recipes that can be modified for personal preference...like swapping out the kale and adding bacon.

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Avocados sans thumbprints, beef short ribs that have meat on them (not the stupid little sliver of bone they sneak into the packages), carrots that don't taste like stalky chalk, spare bottles of Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year Old Bourbon, an herb garden that actually produces herbs (but no basil!), well-marbled NY strip steaks and elk backstrap to: cbd dot aoshq at gmail dot com.

And don't think that you are off the hook with maple syrup and French Toast: I'm watching you...all of you! And I am watching you perverts who shake Manhattans and keeping a list for the Burning Times.