Braised Spareribs with Bell Pepper Paste

I compromised everything I believe in and bought conventionally grown red bell peppers at the farmer's market. They were 4 for a dollar, and I guess if the price is right...

I've read about massa de pimentão, a Portuguese paste used to marinate meats, but I've only made my own, so I can't tell you how much this resembles the original. I've tried this with chicken and pork, and while both were good, the pork was mouthwateringly delicious. Once the meat is tender, you finish cooking it on a bed of potatoes that absorb the juices from the bell pepper sauce and the meat. It's very simple, and very good. In fact, it only uses 5 ingredients: spareribs, bell peppers, potatoes, salt, and pepper. 

So when bell peppers are seasonal and cheap, buy a lot of them and make enough of this paste to freeze for later. It's incredibly simple, but it is something you have to do ahead of time. This is a wonderful, warming winter dish but the bell pepper paste gives it a bright note. 

I followed the recipe (more or less) from Saveur. There were a few things I changed slightly- I cut the recipe in half, used less salt because 1/2 inch of salt between layers of bell pepper really seemed excessive, and I couldn't get the same cut of ribs. It didn't matter! I peel bell peppers because the skin is so hard to digest and these weren't organic, so I'm hoping this cut down on the pesticide residue. 

Bell Pepper Paste (Massa de Pimentao)

For the Red Sauce:
8 bell peppers, peeled and sliced
kosher salt

Directions:
Layer the bell pepper strips in a strainer with plenty of salt. Put the strainer in a bowl, cover it with a plate, and weigh it down. You can put it in the refrigerator and leave it for a couple days or leave it out on the kitchen counter overnight. 

Take out the bell pepper and wipe off as much of the salt as you can. Blend it in a food processor and freeze or refrigerate. 

Braised Spareribs with Potatoes (Entrecosto no Forno con Batatas)

Ingredients:
1-1/2 to 2 cups Bell Pepper Paste
3 pounds spareribs
about 1-1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and sliced
freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. Marinate the ribs in the pepper paste either in a roasting pan covered with aluminum foil or in a ziplock bag in the refrigerator. Let it marinate overnight or for a few days. 

2. Let the ribs come to room temperature and put in a roasting pan if they aren't already. Season with pepper and roast in a 325 degree oven for about 2 hours or until they are tender. Take them out of the oven and turn it up to 425 degrees. 

3. Remove the ribs and set them aside, scraping off as much of the pepper paste as you can into a bowl. Pour in about half of the drippings and whisk them together. 

4. Add the potatoes to the baking dish and season them with pepper. 

5. Put the ribs back on the potatoes and pour the paste/drippings mixture over the whole thing. Return it to the 425 degree oven and roast for another 45 minutes to an hour, until the potatoes are fully cooked and soft. 

6. The original recipe has you broil the ribs for a few minutes to char them just a little, but the picture to the left shows what mine looked like by the time the potatoes were tender, and it was unnecessary. 

Enjoy!