The richest Braised Spare Ribs you'll ever eat

Tonight was whatever I had left on the counter night. So that was some frozen pork spare ribs, half a bottle of left-over wine (about 2 weeks old but not yet vinegar), mushrooms, and garlic. That seemed easy enough. So I browned spareribs after dousing them heavily with cajun spice. Removed and scraped brown particles from pan--added about 8 cloves garlic whole and 10-15 whole button mushrooms. Let them sizzle in pan with some butter till browned. Added more cajun spice and some dried chile peppers. Then added back the meat and spices. Then wine. Then a little chicken broth. Cooked it about 2 hours and added some tobasco and Worcestershire and a little bbq sauce. Once the sauce was significantly reduced and the pork pulled apart it was done. And a great meal for a cool evening.

You could easily substitute pork ribs for Beef Short Ribs and get same result (with a little beef broth in place of chicken).

A Long Dark Spring of the Soul

A living word moves upward like dove wings
Breaking morning sunshine in feather bejeweled
Tongues of flames that fall back to earth
And are tilled into dumb clods like autumn leaves

The Word leaves the earth in legs and arms
Intersecting with a smile or a kiss or even
Holding hands underneath a bridge
While the sound of cars pass by above

Words turn in wheels that move unmoving
Around moments of love that leave
Us waiting for the sun so we can fall asleep
Into moments of fire that purge us of desire

Newt and Smothered Rabbit

So, the Newt Gingrich stuff follows the recipe. This was one of the best damn meals I've ever cooked and it is soul food through the bone. It could only have been perfected if I had real rabbit stock--but homemade chicken stock worked wonders.

One rabbit cut up (between 1-2 lbs.)
4 onions
1 bell pepper
2 ribs celery
5 cloves garlic
cajun spice
3-4 cups chicken (or rabbit) stock
bay leaf
salt pepper to taste and cajun/creole spice
and flour

One rabbit cut up--this one was small (a little over a pound). Season generously with cajun/creole spice. Then dredge in flour and cajun spice mixed until all pieces are thoroughly coated in flour/spice. Place each piece in cast iron skillet filled 1/4 inch with vegetable oil almost smoking. Brown both sides (about 2-3 minutes each side) and remove as each piece is done. If it starts to burn, discard and use new oil. After the pieces are browned, set aside on paper towel for later use.

Reduce remaining oil slightly till there's about 1/2-3/4 cup of oil in pan, but keep brown particles left over from rabbit. Make sure nothing is stuck to pan and add 3/4 cup flour to oil to make a roux. Roux making is ok if you keep heat about 1/2 high. Be sure to stir continually with whisk and keep particles from sticking to pan--keep it moving. Once the roux is nut-brown color, add a chopped onion, chopped celery and chopped pepper to skillet and mix thoroughly until roux quiets down.

I eventually cooked the whole thing in cast iron dutch oven--you could do the whole thing in the same oven, and after you have roux, add remaining vegetables to sweat for about 5-10 minutes until liquid released. Then I added rabbit pieces and stock and bay leaf. Brought to boil and let simmer 50-60 minutes. Then finished. Adjust cajun spice as needed. (Usually this is a mix of cayenne, paprika, garlic power, onion powder, thyme, black pepper, etc.) Serve over generous portions of rice.

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This is a link to Newt Gingrich's recent speech given at Colgate University. It is well worth watching the whole hour of it. He nails it in the first thirty minutes and gets it straight in the question and answer final thirty minutes. Though I am not sure Newt's take on Smothered Rabbit--I'm sure he'd dig it.

And congratulations Mr Speaker for your conversion and all those converting this coming weekend. Good luck on the long dark holy week and watch The Passion as much as possible.

And, as my priest told us today, it is only by realizing our own complicity in the story of the passion that we come to feel the gospel tragedy and eventual glory.