This is a hearty and flavorful dish that reminds me of my father’s Sunday Gravy. He often put pork neck bones in his gravy. The flavor they imparted was huge and though an acquired  taste, sucking on the bones is truly wonderful.
I recently made an enormous pot of his gravy filled with homemade meatballs and some good Italian sausage. I packaged the sauce in various containers including several that were just gravy. I thought plain gravy would make a great blank canvas.
I started thinking about pork and how it made gravy taste amazing.  I didn’t have any neck bones, but I did have a good size package of country pork ribs in the freezer. It seemed like a  workable swap . After browning the ribs, I opted to braise them in the sauce. I added some extra onions and garlic along with some fennel seed and red pepper flakes.
In less than 2 hours I had tender falling off the bone pork and a sauce that had incredible depth of flavor. Served with rigatoni lightly coated with some of the sauce and a generous grating of Parmesan, it was heaven.
No Sunday gravy on hand? I won’t think any less of you if you opt for your own Marinara or even sauce from a jar. Bone in ribs give the most flavor, but boneless will work in a pinch.You could also add extra veggies to the sauce. Fennel bulb, Peppers, Zucchini, or Eggplant would fit right in.
Braised Pork Ribs with Rigatoni
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Braised Pork Ribs with Rigatoni
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Instructions
Season pork ribs on all sides with the Italian Herb Blend. Heat the oil in a large dutch oven, Add the pork and brown on all sides. This should take 10 minutes or so. Remove the pork from the pan and set aside.
Add the onions, garlic, pepper flakes and fennel seed. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions begin to soften and the garlic is fragrant.
Add the vermouth and cook and stir over medium high heat, scraping up any browned bits. Add the tomato gravy and stir to combine. Bring the sauce to boil. Lay the pork ribs on top of the sauce, cover and put in a 325 degree oven.
Braise for about one hour. Check the ribs for tenderness. You will probably need to continue the braising for another 30 -60 minutes. (this depends on density of the ribs).
As the ribs finish cooking, boil the pasta. Drain and return to the pan. Once the ribs are done, toss the pasta with some of the sauce. Serve the pasta topped with a good amount of grated Parmesan and serve the ribs alond side.
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What would happen if Andouille Sausage, Chicken, and spicy Blackening Seasoning joined the party in one pan that is called Slumgullion? That happened on the day  Jambalaya met Slumgullion and a mash-up made in heaven was born. (Click on the red words to see where the original recipes came from.)
I used Urban Accents Blackened Cajun Seasoning to add a taste of the Big Easy, but any Cajun, Creole, or Blackening seasoning that you like will do. Precooking the potatoes allows them to cook in the same time frame as the other vegetables. You can kick the heat up a notch or two with some Cayenne or Tabasco or tone down the spiciness…it’s all up to you.
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When Jambalaya Met Slumgullion
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When Jambalaya Met Slumgullion
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Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.Season the chicken bits liberally with the Blackening Seasoning and add to the pan Cook and stir until light brown, about 4 minutes. Remove to a plate and add the sausage to the pan. Brown on both sides and remove to plate with the chicken.
Put the potatoes in a covered microwave safe container. Add 1/2 cup of water. Cover and microwave for 6 minutes, stirring after the first 3 minutes.
If the pan seems too dry, add another tablespoon of olive oil. Put the precooked potatoes in the pan and toss to coat with the oil and drippings. Cover the pan and cook over low heat for 6 minutes or so, stirring frequently. At this point, the potatoes should be slightly soft.
Remove the cover and raise the heat to medium. Add the onion and toss to combine. Cook 5 minutes until the onions begin to become translucent. Add the peppers and garlic. cook and stir 6-7 minutes. The pepper should be getting soft and the garlic should be fragrant.
Put the chicken, sausage and any accumulated juices back into the pan. Toss to combine everything. Add about 1/2 cup of the chicken stock. Cook for 5-8 minutes adding a little more chicken stock if the mixture seems dry.
Add a little more of the Blackening Seasoning to your taste and serve.
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