LET’S GO barbie

Sticky Tamarind and Maple Syrup Glazed Pork Ribs

Apart from being super-delicious, what I love about making ribs is that both the ribs and the glaze can be prepared in advance then just finished off on the barbecue for a finger-licking feast.

3 x 500-gram racks pork spare ribs
sea salt
1 cup hot water
lime wedges for squeezing

GLAZE

⅔ cup maple syrup
½ cup kecap manis (thick, sweet Indonesian soy sauce)
¼ cup each oyster sauce and black vinegar (chinkiang vinegar)
2 tablespoons each tamarind concentrate and sriracha chilli sauce
1 teaspoon each ground cinnamon and sea salt

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake.

RIBS : Use a sharp knife to cut loose one edge of the skin, which is the thin membrane on the bone side of the ribs. Grab the edge with a kitchen towel then pull off the entire skin and discard.

Season the ribs with salt then place in a large baking dish. Pour in the water and cover with baking paper then foil to seal tightly. Bake for 1 hour. Remove and pat dry with kitchen towels.

GLAZE: Place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Cool.

Tip half of the glaze into a serving bowl and set aside for serving.

Preheat the barbecue or a grill plate to medium-low.

Brush the ribs with some of the remaining glaze and place over the heat. Turn and brush the ribs every 5 minutes until golden and sticky, about 15 minutes. Don’t have the heat too hot or the glaze will quickly catch and burn.

TO SERVE: Transfer to a serving board and serve with the reserved glaze for dipping and lime wedges for squeezing. SERVES 6

Cook’s note: The glaze can be made several days ahead, and the ribs can be baked 3 days ahead of glazing. Store both in the fridge.

Seafood, White Bean and Chorizo Stew

It’s easy to tailor this recipe to use whatever fresh seafood is on hand. You can use all fish and you can also substitute mussels for the clams if desired. Serve with warm, crusty sourdough bread for mopping up all the juices.

500 grams firm white fish fillets
8 large raw peeled prawns
20 clams
small handful parsley, chopped, to serve

BASE

2 tablespoons olive oil1 large2 teaspoons whole fennel seedssea salt and ground pepper2 teaspoons smoked paprika200 grams cured chorizo sausage, thinly sliced400-gram tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed530-gram jar tomato pasta sauce (I used a spicy puttanesca)