madcity girl

Terese Allen is one of my favorite local food authors. When I found her recipe for Puerto Rican Pork Rib Stew in the Winter edition of Edible Madison, I was intrigued. I especially loved how Terese described making the dish twice last winter—”once in an ocean-side cottage on a tiny island off Puerto Rico, and once in a snow-bound cabin in northern Wisconsin.” I imagined a table of cabin dwellers eagerly huddled over piping hot bowls of hearty stew next to a crackling fire. I wanted to be there.

I decided to make the stew for Valentine’s Day, along with Dark Chocolate-Cherry-Ganache Bars. My only confusion came with the Anaheim peppers and “stuffed” green olives—to seed or not to seed? And stuffed—with what exactly? I decided to seed the peppers, and (overwhelmed by the stuffing options) chose to keep it safe with plain, pitted green olives. Luckily, the stew came together wonderfully. I made it on Monday, refrigerated overnight (which helped the flavors intensify) and warmed it up for Tuesday’s dinner. As Terese recommended, I served the stew with warmed corn tortillas.

Both my Valentine and I loved the stew, agreeing it was a far better meal than the several we’ve enjoyed out lately. The flavors were so interesting. And when I closed my eyes and breathed in the stew’s aroma, it was almost as if I was transported two hundred miles due north to a tiny cabin in the woods.

Puerto Rican Pork Rib Stew (from Terese Allen via Edible Madison; serves eight)

3 pounds meaty country style pork ribs
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp. dried oregano
3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 cup finely chopped white onion
1 cup finely chopped Anaheim pepper (or similar sweet-spicy pepper)
¼ cup tomato sauce
8 large cloves roasted garlic
1 tbsp. capers
10-12 stuffed green olives, chopped
3 cups rich chicken stock
1 very large baking potato, peeled and cut into chunks
¼ to ½ cup Italian bread crumbs
Corn tortillas, warmed

Cut the meat into extra large chunks off the bones. Toss meat and bones with 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, all oregano and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Let stand 30 minutes.

Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium-high flame. Add a little oil and swirl it around to coat the bottom of the pan. Brown the meat and bones in batches, without crowding the pan, transferring the batches to a stew pot.

Wipe out the pan with paper towels. Add a bit more olive oil and let it heat briefly. Add onions and peppers; cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add tomato sauce, roasted garlic, capers, and olives; cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer mixture to stew pot. Add stock to barely cover meat. Partially cover and slowly simmer the stew 1 hour.

Add potatoes; simmer until everything is really tender, another 1/2 hour or so.

Remove bones (or as many of them as you can find). Sprinkle in the bread crumbs and stir to thicken the stew. Adjust seasonings.

If time permits, let the stew stand off the heat for an hour or two (or refrigerate overnight). Reheat gently and serve with tortillas.

Category: Kristin's Kitchen