Sticky ribs with blue cheese sauce

Serves 4-6

You will need:

• 2 generous tablespoons Ballymaloe Country Relish

• 100ml soy sauce

• 100ml white wine vinegar

• 100ml orange juice

• 100g brown sugar

• 1 scant tablespoon honey

• 1 scant tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed or finely grated

• 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger (see my Top Tip, above)

• 1.4kg pork spare ribs (approximately 2 baby back ribs)

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• A few sprigs of coriander, to garnish

For the blue cheese sauce, you will need:

• 100g blue cheese

• 100ml-150ml cream

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

• A small squeeze of lemon juice

1

You will also need bowls of water with lemon slices in them, to serve with the ribs. Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, Gas 4.

2

While the oven is preheating, add the Ballymaloe Country Relish to a saucepan, along with the soy sauce, the white wine vinegar, the orange juice, the brown sugar, the honey, the Dijon mustard, the crushed or finely grated garlic, whichever you are using, and the finely grated fresh ginger. Place the saucepan on the heat and bring the mixture up the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, then continue to boil over a low-to-medium heat, uncovered. Keep stirring regularly, until the sauce has thickened and reduced by half. This should take about 20-25 minutes.

3

While the sauce is cooking, prepare the ribs. Using a sharp knife, cut between each rib to make individual ‘fingers’ (see

photo, above). Place these ‘fingers’ in a single layer on one or two baking trays, season them with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook them in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

4

Once the sauce has thickened, take it off the heat and pour it into a large mixing bowl.

5

When the ribs have cooked for 20 minutes, take them out of the oven, and turn the oven temperature up to 200°C, 400°F, Gas 6.

6

Tip the ribs (and any juices) into the bowl of sauce, toss together, then spread the ribs, along with any remaining sauce from the bowl, in a single layer on the baking tray or trays, and cook them again in the hot oven until they are a deep, dark-golden colour and sticky around the edges — about 20-25 minutes.

7

While the ribs are cooking, make the blue cheese sauce. Crush the blue cheese with a fork and put it in a small mixing bowl.

8

Add the first 100ml of cream into the blue cheese, and continue to mix the cheese and the cream together until you have an almost smooth consistency. Add some more cream if the sauce is too thick.

9

Taste the blue cheese sauce and add some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper if necessary. Taste again, you may need to add a small squeeze of lemon juice.

10

Tip the cooked ribs out into a shallow bowl, and scatter them with a few coriander leaves. Serve with the blue cheese sauce, the finger bowls of warm water with lemon slices, and lots of napkins. These ribs are great served with cabbage, carrot and coriander slaw (see recipe, right), and fries.