Sticky ribs & orzo salad

One of the best things about home cooking (and eating, of course) is that you can get down right messy and it doesn’t matter. No one’s judging. No one’s looking. Well, there’s the hubby, but he’s as much into it as me, so all’s fair.

This sticky ribs marinade by Nigella Lawson is so simple and totally finger-lickin’ good. If you’ve watched any of Nigella’s cooking shows, she’s often licking her fingers while cooking…and I totally get it, at least with this dish.

All it takes is an overnight marination of about 1 kg of pork ribs with the following…which was slightly adapted from the original recipe.

• 50 ml sweet chili sauce (Thai or Chinese)
• 40 ml dark sweet soy sauce
• 1 orange, juice and sliced rind
• 2/3 lime, juice and sliced rind
• 2 tbsp honey

Place all the ingredients in a zip lock bag, shake it about and make sure the ribs are well coated with the marinade. Place it on the side on a plate, and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

To cook – preheat the oven to 200c, lay the ribs in a single layer on a baking tray. Bake for 20 minutes, turn the ribs over and cook till they are nicely caramelised. I baked mine for another 20 minutes. If you’re using smaller ribs, don’t overcook them, as long as the ribs are nicely coloured and cooked through, you’re good to go.

I served the ribs with a quick and delicious orzo salad.

• 200g orzo pasta, cooked and drained
• 2 large handfuls of fresh baby spinach leaves
• 1 cup cooked garden peas
• 8 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• 2 tsp dijon mustard
• a generous splash of white wine vinegar
• olive oil
• salt and pepper

Mix the diced shallots in with the vinegar in a salad bowl. Let it sit while you prepare the other ingredients. Doing this with onions of any sort takes away the pungent onion smells and flavour, and leaving behind the sweetness and milder flavours which are a lot more enjoyable. (no onion breath for one!)

Add in olive oil (general rule of thumb is one part vinegar, three parts oil), mustard, salt and pepper and mix dressing well before adding the rest of the ingredients. Toss and enjoy – with or without sticky ribs.

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