Daeji Kalbi (spicy pork baby back ribs

Daeji Kalbi  Spicy Pork Loin Back Ribs

Charlie showed me this recipe in Koreatown and asked if I would make it. He said he had it at a restaurant once and it was really good.  He said it was perfect and so we put in on the KEEPER list. It does make a mess of the grill though.

A friend posted a sourdough starter made with potato water, flour and sugar.  I gave it a try and decided to leave out the sugar after the second feeding because I felt the sugar speeded up the action of the yeast and it was done too quickly.  I was going to make potato bread but when I looked up the recipe, it used two packets of yeast and I was afraid that sourdough would not be up to doing it when a double batch of commercial yeast was needed.

1/2 Asian pear, peeled, cored. ( used an Asian plum)

1 Gala or Fuji apple, peeled and cored

1/2 white onion, roughly chopped

1 C. gochujang

1 T. black pepper

2 T. mirin

1/4 C. soy sauce

1/4 C. Korean rice or corn syrup

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 C. finely gochugaru (dried red chili powder)

2 T. sugar

2 full racks baby back ribs (5 to 7 lbs total) silver skin removed

Sesame seeds, for garnish

1 combine all ingr. except ribs and sesame seeds in blender and process until smooth.

2. cut ribs into individual bones and marinate 4 hours or overnight. (recipe suggests letting marinade set in refrigerator overnight before using to let the flavors blend

3. Grill over charcoal or gas on medium.  Shake excess off ribs and grill about 15 minutes, turning often until well browned, about 15 -20 minutes.

or Pat ribs dry and roast @ 350º on top rack for 45 min. or until tender and cooked through.

4. After cooking lent meat rest 5 min. garnish with sesame seeds.

Spiced baby eggplant

• 1 1-inch piece ginger, peeled, finely grated
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for serving
• 1 teaspoon Kashmiri chili powder or sweet smoked paprika, plus more for serving
• 1½ pounds Indian eggplants (about 12)
• Kosher salt

• Mix ginger, garlic, coriander, cumin, turmeric, 2 Tbsp. oil, and 1 tsp. chili powder in a small bowl.
  
• Quarter eggplants lengthwise through rounded bottom, stopping ½" short of the stem. Gently pry quarters open without detaching flesh from stem; season with salt. Spoon spice mix into each eggplant, making sure inside flesh is coated.
  
• Heat 3 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium-high. Cook eggplants in a single layer, turning occasionally, until golden brown all over, 8–10 minutes total. Reduce heat to low and add ¼ cup water. Cover and cook, turning eggplants halfway through, until tender, 12–16 minutes.
  
• Spoon raita on a platter. Arrange eggplants over, then top with cilantro. Sprinkle with more chili powder and drizzle with oil.

POTATO YEAST STARTER  Boil a potato in enough water to have a cup of potato water when done. Cool to room themperature, add a cup of flour and a tablespoon of sugar, stir and let set overnight.  It was active before the end of the first day but done and not expanding the second. After five feedings without sugar it became very active.  It took longer to rise than with regular dry yeast but it always does.  I usually use the starter for flavor and add some rapid rise yeast to speed things up but didn't this time as I wanted to see how well it performed by itself.

Corn cooked on the grill until grill marked. Cut off the cob and put in a pot with about a Tablesp. of butter, two or three Tbsp of cream and about a teaspoon of honey + salt to taste.