Saturdays in the Community call for a lot of physical participation, especially for our band members — 20 of which are sisters. Morning Beehive, the weekly time when all Community members gather to work together on whatever jobs need most to be done, starts at 8 am and continues until noon, with a half hour coffee break at 10 am.

Following lunch our convent band sisters pack up and take off with the rest of the band for a full afternoon of serious rehearsal often requiring considerable concentration as well as physical activity.

Everyone knows that when the band comes home they will come home very hungry and be looking forward to a substantial dinner. That’s why we always plan a hearty meal for that evening for all of us.

This week’s Saturday night dinner cook chose to do pork ribs with creamy polenta, chard, yellow squash and salad, but instead of grilling the ribs as we often do she surprised everyone by choosing to braise them…and…the result? Not a rib leftover and she has now been branded “Best Saturday night convent dinner cook!”

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Braised Pork Ribs

SERVINGS 4people CHANGE SERVING SIZE people

COOK TIME 2hours

PREP TIME 50minutes

READY IN 2hours, 50 min

Ingredients

• 3 pounds country-style pork ribs bone in
• kosher salt
• black pepper freshly ground
• 1 carrot(s) chopped
• 2 celery stalk(s) chopped
• 2 onion(s) chopped
• 4 garlic clove(s) minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
• Creamy Polenta
• vegetable cooking spray
• 1 1/3 cups half and half
• 1 cup milk
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1/3 cup coarse polenta or corn grits
• kosher salt
• 1/2 cup fresh parmesan cheese grated
• black pepper freshly ground

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Pat the ribs dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the ribs on all sides, working in batches if needed. Remove the ribs and set aside. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the Dutch oven and reduce the heat to medium. Add the carrots, celery, onions and some salt and pepper and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, to remove the raw flavor, about 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the vinegar and wine, and then add the red pepper flakes and bay leaves.
3. Add the ribs back to the pan and add enough stock to reach halfway up the sides of the ribs. Bring the pan to a simmer, cover and place in the oven. Braise until the meat is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. During the last half hour, uncover to allow the liquid to reduce and the pork to brown. Remove ½ of the veggies and blend to a thick puree- return to pan juices to thicken the sauce.
4. Serve the ribs with Creamy Polenta, spooning the sauce on top, and garnishing with parsley.

Creamy Polenta

1. Spray the insert of a slow cooker with cooking spray (for easier clean up) and preheat on high.
2. In a medium saucepan, add 1 cup of the half-and-half, the milk, 1 tablespoon of the butter and the polenta. Season with salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly to keep the mixture lump-free. Boil for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the mixture into the slow cooker and cook on high for 2 hours, stirring once or twice per hour.
3. Once you are ready to serve, open the slow cooker and whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, the remaining 1/3 cup half-and-half and the Parmesan. Salt and pepper conservatively since the polenta will be served with a robustly salted dish.