Ribs aux Cassis avec Couscous à la Menthe et Fèves – Sticky Cassis Pork Ribs with Mint and Broad Bean Couscous
This luxurious ribs recipe from Rachel Khoo's Kitchen Notebook is the perfect combination of sweet and salty. Serve at a casual dinner party for endless praise.
From the book
My Little French Kitchen
A whirlwind tour of classic French cooking
Simple recipes for comforting classics
Desserts that will delight any sweet tooth
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Introduction
When I was a kid I would often make myself a blackcurrant drink after school (usually with more cordial that Mum would like). Little did I know that I would be doing that when I was a grown-up too. A dash of almost black, glistening crème de cassis with some Champagne and you have yourself a delicious Kir Royale (or just Kir when paired with white wine). A very refreshing way to unwind after a long day. But it turns out it needn’t be confined to the liquor cabinet. In a moment of inspiration, I reached for the crème de cassis thinking it would be perfect for making a sticky glaze for some pork ribs and, lo and behold, it was.
Ingredients
| 160g | blackcurrant jam |
| 4 tbsp | runny honey |
| 125ml | crème de cassis |
| 1 tsp | freshly ground pepper |
| 1 | lemon, zested and roughly chopped |
| salt | |
| 1.5kg | pork ribs or beef short ribs |
| For the couscous: | |
| 20g | fresh mint, leaves and stalks separated |
| 200g | fresh or frozen broad beans |
| 425ml | boiling water |
| 200g | couscous |
| 2 tbsp | olive oil |
Method
Whisk together the jam, honey, crème de cassis, pepper, lemon zest and 2 teaspoons of salt. Place the ribs and chopped lemon with the marinade in a large freezer bag and seal it tightly. Give it a shake so the ribs are covered and then leave to marinate in the fridge for at least an hour, but preferably overnight.
Preheat the oven to 150C. Place the ribs, chopped lemon and the marinade in a large tray, cover with foil and cook for 2 hours. Turn the heat up to 200C, remove the foil and baste the ribs with the marinade. Roast for another 15-30 minutes, basting a couple of times. The sauce should become sticky and thick and the ribs should be dark and glossy from the sauce. Remove from the oven, transfer the ribs to a dish and cover with foil. Pour the sauce into a saucepan and boil for 5-10 minutes then pour the reduced sauce over the ribs.
Meanwhile, make the couscous. Roughly chop the mint stalks and place in a pot with the broad beans, a pinch of salt and the boiling water. Bring to a boil and then pour over the couscous. Cover with cling film or a clean tea towel and leave to stand for 10 minutes. Remove the mint stalks and fluff up with a fork, then stir in the mint leaves, oil and taste for salt. Serve with the sticky ribs.
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