Ease of Preparation: Medium
Yield: Serves 4, as a main
CREOLE BEEF RIB WITH SPICED PUMPKIN SEEDS
These ribs are scary good! Rich, meaty and falling off the bone, the punch and bold flavours of the epis are evident in every bite. Add some jerk-spiced pumpkin seeds for crunch and some sweet, roasted wedges of acorn squash, and these ribs’ll knock you dead!
Ingredients:
Jerk Spiced Pumpkin Seeds:
- 2 cups (470 ml) pumpkin seeds
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) cayenne
- Salt and pepper
- 1 lime, zest and juice
Epis:
- 1 bunch scallions, ends removed and roughly chopped
- 1 bell pepper, cored and roughly chopped
- ½ bunch thyme, leaves
- ½ bunch parsley, hard stems removed
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper, stem removed
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) Maggi
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) whole cloves
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) allspice berries
- Salt and pepper
- ¼ cup (60 ml) vinegar
Ribs:
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) vegetable oil
- 3 pounds (1.5 kg) long individual beef ribs, meat attached with half of the bone exposed and Frenched (cleaned), silverskin removed
- Salt and pepper
- Epis
- 4 cups (1 L) beef broth
- 1 cup (240 ml) prepared veal demi-glace
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tablespoon (15 ml) water
- Roasted acorn squash wedges, for plating
Method:
For the Jerk Spiced Pumpkin Seeds:
Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C).
In a bowl, combine the pumpkin seeds, allspice, brown sugar, thyme, clove, salt, pepper, and cayenne and toss to coat.
Zest the lime and reserve the zest. Spritz the juice over the pumpkin seeds.
Toss the pumpkin seeds again and spread onto a prepared baking sheet in an even layer.
Roast in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until toasty and aromatic. Stir halfway, if needed.
Cool to room temperature, reserve until needed. These may be prepared up to 1-2 days in advance.
For the Epis:
In the bowl of a small food processor, combine the scallions, bell pepper, parsley, thyme, garlic, scotch bonnet, cloves, allspice, salt, and pepper and pulse to a coarse chop.
Add the Maggi and vinegar and blend to a rough paste.
Reserve for the ribs.
For the Ribs:
Preheat the oven to 300 F (150 C).
Season the ribs with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large, heavy, oven ready pan or skillet.
Sear the ribs on all sides until evenly browned, then remove and set aside.
Add the Epis mixture to the hot pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, until hot through and starting to soften.
Add the stock and demiglace and bring to a boil, then return the ribs to the pan. Cover tightly and bake for 3 hours without disturbing.
When ready, remove the ribs and return the liquid to a boil.
Whisk in the cornstarch-water slurry and continue whisking to thicken into a sauce.
To Serve:
Place wedges of roasted acorn squash on the plate.
Add the short rib over and across.
Portion the sauce over the meat (not the bone).
Garnish with the toasted seeds and serve immediately.