Shanghai spareribs were imported by a couple fleeing China, passed on like a state secret - includes recipes

Sunset, Sept, 1986

Shanghai spareribs were imported by a couple fleeing China, passed on like a state secret

Don Quixote may have believed that no sauce in the world could compare with hunger to enhance a meal, but he'd be hard pressed to deny that Langdon Sully's sweet-and-spicy concoction comes close. Applied three ways--as a marinade beforehand, as a glaze during cooking, and as a finishing touch at the table--Chef Sully's sauce ensures that none of these ribs will remain spares.

Imported by a couple fleeing China, then passed on like a state secret, the recipe is aptly named for a center of international intrigue. It has its own element of suspense as you wait out the hours while the spareribs steep. Cooks rendered insomniac by the anticipation can wile away their sleepless hours turning the ribs in their marinade.

Shanghai Spareribs

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 cup regular-strength chicken broth

4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 cup tomato paste

4 pounds pork spareribs

Water

1 tablespoon cornstarch

In a bowl, stir together honey, soy, broth, garlic, mustard, and tomato paste. Trim excess fat from ribs and discard. Place ribs in a 12- by 17-inch shallow baking pan or broiler pan; pour honey mixture over meat. Cover and refrigerate 12 to 24 hours, turning ribs several times.

Pour off excess sauce; set aside. Cover ribs with foil and bake in a 350| oven for 45 minutes. Uncover; drain liquid from pan and reserve. Continue baking, uncovered, basting frequently with reserved sauce--using all--until ribs are tender when pierced, about 1 hour more. Cut between bones to separate individual ribs. Arrange them on a serving platter and keep warm.

Skim fat from reserved pan drippings and discard, then measure drippings; if necessary, add water to make 1 cup total. Return drippings to pan, stirring to scrape up browned bits.

Mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water and stir into pan. Stir over high heat until sauce is boiling. Pour it into a small bowl and offer sauce to spoon onto individual servings. Makes 4 servings.

?? Sully

Vista, Calif.

The Japanese root of Chef Kelley's slaw is the mild white daikon radish. Coarsely shredded, it joins forces with the carrot and crisp bits of cabbage to create a colorful trio. But it's the dressing that transmogrifies this from humble slaw into an innovative salad. Ginger and sesame oil bring their Asian influence to bear, and mustard adds its pungent bite.

Daikon Cole Slaw

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1 tablespoon water

1 large egg

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons Oriental sesame oil

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 small clove garlic, minced or pressed

1 cup salad oil

1 pound daikon

1 pound carrots (about 5 mediumsize)

1/2 pound cabbage (about 1/2 of a small head)

Salt

In a blender or food processor, combine mustard and water; let stand 10 minutes. Add to mustard the egg, sugar, sesame oil, vinegar, ginger, and garlic. Whirl to blend thoroughly. With motor running, add salad oil in a slow, steady stream; pour faster as mixture thickens. Use, or cover and chill as long as 3 days.

Coarsely shred daikon, carrots, and cabbage. In a large bowl, mix vegetables with dressing; salt to tasts. Serves 8 to 10.

Kevin D. Kelley

Piedmont, Calif.

At his accustomed place at the gaming tables, the fourth earl of Sandwich would have been stumped by an open-faced treat such as this. A fast-food pioneer, he was notorious for refusing nourishment unless it was inserted between tidy slices of bread, thereby making it possible to keep his hands clean--and his strength up--as he played his cards. But presented with Steve Dolley's creation, he might well have found it worth the gamble of setting down his cards in order to take up knife and fork.

Oyster Sandwich

1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) butter or margarine

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed

6 slices sourdough French bread, each cut about 1/2 inch thick from a long 1-pound loaf

2 jars (10 oz. each) small Pacific oysters

1/2 pound jack cheese, thinly sliced

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped parsley

Melt half the butter in a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and stir until slightly softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Brush garlic butter onto 1 side of each bread slice; arrange with butter side up in a 10- by 15-inch pan. Bake in a 350| oven until bread is toasted, about 20 minutes. Set aside in pan.

Melt remaining butter in the same frying pan over medium-high heat; add oysters and cook until edges curl, turning once to cook evenly, 4 to 5 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, lift oysters from pan and, dividing equally, place on buttered sides of toast; save juices. Cover oysters evenly with cheese. Bake in a 350| oven just until cheese melts, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley. Offer juices to spoon onto sandwiches. Eat with knives and forks. Markes 6 servings.

??

San Miguel, Calif.

Called upon to relieve his wife of her responsibilities as a summer cook on a 58-foot fishing boat, Mike Campbell responded heroically--as you'll see. His felicity in the kitchen enabled him to fill his creation with three types of fish--halibut, shrimp, and, of course, clams--without displeasing a woman who had every right to be tired of seafood.