sweetmom

What is ramp?

Last summer when my father-n-law visited, I made baby backs. I used a combo, oven braising (really almost steaming) and grilling with hickory wood chips. For the braising, I used soy sauce, orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, onion, garlic and the zests of the fruit. Then, I rubbed the meat with a mixture of kosher salt, cracked black pepper, paprika, cayenne, ground coriander, and cumin. Next, I braised the ribs in a slow oven until tender, about 2 hrs. While the meat braised, I soaked my wood chips thoroughly. When the ribs came out, and at this point they can be stored in the fridge if you like to plan ahead, I mopped them with a sauce made from pureed anchos, tomato sauce, molasses, citrus juices and zests. Grilled over smokey hickory chips for a taste of Sunny Florida!

As a mother of small children, dinner is usually far less creative than I would like. Trying to please young palates and my need for food adventure is one of the biggest challenges that I face. With Mother's Day coming, my husband asked me what gift I wanted. My immediate reply was, "I want to cook a nice dinner." Cooking is my passion. Although I don't cook professionally anymore, I still derive much satisfication preparing elaborate meals for my friend and family, even if it is a rare occurance. Taking full advantage of "My Day," I prepared a Paella feast. First, I used lobster shells and heads, saved in my freezer from the last splurge, and simmered a rich lobster stock, which I planned to cook my rice in. Then, I combined short grained Valencia rice, saffron, chorizo, chicken breast, scallops, shrimp and scallops. All flavored, of course with plenty of onion and garlic. To top it off, we enjoyed fresh Maine lobster w/ drawn butter and a Brut Champagne. I felt like I had gone to heaven. The kids really enjoyed helping me in the kitchen as well, and learned how to shuck mussels, clean shrimp and cook live lobsters, which made them all shriek and laugh. What a perfect day.