Spareribs Pan-Roasted with Sage and White Wine, Treviso Style

By Sharmd

by Marcella Hazan, 1993, Alfred A. Knopf
“In what were one time the poor regions of northern Italy, the eastern Veneto and Friuli, satisfaction and nourishment had to be found in the least expensive cuts of meat. No one in the Veneto goes hungry any longer, but the flavor of Treviso’s ribs slowly pan-roasted with sage and white wine is as deeply gratifying now as it was then. Serve them with their pan juices, over… mashed potatoes or hot, soft polenta.”

Ingredients

• A 3-pound rack of spareribs, divided into single ribs
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and cut into very thin slices
• 2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves or 2 teaspoons whole dried ones, chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• Salt
• Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill

Preparation

Step 1

1. Choose a sauté pan that can subsequently accommodate all the ribs without crowding them. Put in the oil and turn on the heat to medium high. When the oil is hot, put in the ribs, and turn them as they cook to brown them deeply
all over.
2. Add the garlic and sage. Cook the garlic, stirring, until it becomes colored a very pale blond, then add the wine. After the wine has simmered briskly for 15 to 20 seconds, adjust heat to cook at a very slow simmer, add salt and pepper, and cover the pan, putting the lid on slightly ajar. Cook for about 40 minutes, turning the ribs occasionally, until their fleshiest part feels very tender when prodded with a fork and comes easily away from the bone. From time to time, as the liquid in the pan becomes insufficient, you will need to add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water to keep the ribs from drying.
3. Transfer the ribs to a warm serving platter, using a slotted spoon or spatula. Tip the pan and spoon off about one-third of the liquefied pork fat. Leave more fat than you usually would when degreasing a pan because you need it to season the recommended accompanying mashed potatoes or polenta. Add 1/2 cup water, turn up the heat to high, and while the water boils away, use a wooden spoon to scrape loose cooking residues from the bottom and sides of the pan. Pour the resulting dark, dense juices over the ribs and serve at once.