PORK COUNTRY-STYLE SPARERIBS (ITALIAN)

Has anybody but me noticed that there are NO recipes for "country-style spareribs," particularly the boneless variety? Yet these luscious little bites of pigmeat, while bad for you, are succulent and delicious.

I crafted a variation on a Northern Italian recipe from Marcella Hazan tonight using 'em. Here 'tis:

Brown 1 pound boneless country-style spareribs in a deep iron skillet in just enough olive oil to do the job. When they're browned, drain off the excess fat, and stir in two fat garlic cloves sliced paper thin, two teaspoons dried sage, fresh-ground black pepper to taste and salt if you think you need it. Toss until the garlic starts to color, then pour in one cup leftover dry white wine. Bring it up to the boil, then cover and turn down to a gentle simmer for about 60 minutes or until the sparerib bites are falling-apart tender. Skim off the fat, thicken the sauce with 1 tablespoon flour dissolved in 2 tablespoons warm water, and serve. (Is good with mashed taters.)

This makes a meal that's friendly to red OR white wine; I crafted it to make a match for a Zin that I expected to be over-acidic, and it worked out well.