Country-Style Pork Ribs with Jalapeño Pesto
by Adapted from Bryan Caswell, Stella Sola, Houston
dinnerItalian
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
produce
- 1shallot(minced (about 2 tablespoons))
- 1 tbsplemon zest(finely grated)
- 1fennel bulb(diced)
- 1onion(diced)
- 3garlic(divided)
- 1jalapeño pepper(roasted, skinned, seeded and chopped)
- 1 cupparsley(loosely packed)
- 1 cupbasil leaves(loosely packed)
- 2celery(diced (about 1 cup))
protein
- 10pork ribs(country-style, bone-in)
dairy
- 1/4 cupPecorino cheese(grated)
pantry staple
- 1/2 cupfennel seeds(coarsely ground in a spice grinder)
- salt
- black pepper
- 3 tbspgrapeseed oil(divided)
- 1/2 cupextra-virgin olive oil
other
- 1/4 cuppine nuts(toasted)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°. Combine the celery, fennel, onion and two of the garlic cloves on a rimmed baking sheet. Place a wire over the vegetables and set the baking sheet aside.
- Rub the ribs with 2 tablespoons of the grapeseed oil and season liberally with salt, pepper and ground fennel seed. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of grapeseed oil in a large skillet until the oil just begins to shimmer. Working in batches, cook the ribs over medium-high heat until golden brown, about 2 minutes, then turn the ribs over and cook until the other side is brown, another 1 to 2 minutes longer. Arrange the ribs in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, transfer to the oven and roast until cooked through, about 35 to 40 minutes.
- While ribs are baking, make the pesto: Place the pine nuts, jalapeño, parsley, basil, shallot, Pecorino and the remaining garlic clove in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse until a smooth paste forms. With the processor running, slowly add the olive oil through the feed chute. Season the pesto with salt, pepper and lemon zest, then transfer to a serving bowl.
- To serve, arrange the roasted vegetables on a platter. Top with the ribs and serve with the jalapeño pesto on the side.