Marcus Samuelsson’s street food barbecue: ribs, corn, greens. Photograph: Lizzie Mayson/The Guardian. Food styling: Kitty Coles. Prop styling: Anna Wilkins.Marcus Samuelsson’s street food barbecue: ribs, corn, greens. Photograph: Lizzie Mayson/The Guardian. Food styling: Kitty Coles. Prop styling: Anna Wilkins.
For your final barbecue of the season, be it outdoors or inside: spicy grilled street corn, St Louis-style pork spare ribs in an Ethiopian spice mix with spiced greens alongside, wrapped up with a coconut mango rice pudding
Marcus Samuelsson
Sat 12 Sep 2020 11.00 BST
Berbere spare ribs
Marcus Samuelsson’s berbere spare ribs.
Prep 15 min
Marinate 12 hr+
Cook 5 hr+
Serves 4
100g brown sugar
3 tbsp berbere spice mix – look in the spice section or world foods aisle at most large supermarkets
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1½ tbsp salt – I use Kosher salt
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
4 racks baby back ribs (or 2 St Louis-style pork spare ribs)
For the ’que sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
2 red onions, peeled and finely chopped7.5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes, drained (340g net weight)180g tomato ketchup
2 tbsp berbere spice mix
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
½ chipotle chili in adobo sauce, roughly chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
240ml brewed coffee
Start a day ahead, so the ribs have time to marinate. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, salt and all the spices, then liberally cover the spare ribs with the dry rub (you want them to be totally covered with the spice mixture). Put on a baking sheet, cover and put in the fridge for at least 12 hours.Advertisement
While the ribs are marinating, make the sauce. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions, ginger and garlic, and saute for about five minutes, until the onions are softened. Add the honey and sugar, and cook, stirring constantly, for about two minutes, until the sugar melts and starts to caramelise. Add all the remaining ingredients and 720ml water, bring up to a boil, then turn down the heat to medium-low and simmer for about an hour, until the sauce has thickened and reduced by half. Turn off the heat and leave to cool.
Heat the oven to very low – 110C (90C fan)/200F/gas ¼. Put a wire rack on a rimmed oven tray lined with greaseproof paper, and lay the marinated ribs on top. Brush half the cooled ’que sauce evenly all over the ribs, and set aside the rest for later. Pour 240ml water into the oven tray, taking care not to get the ribs wet, tightly cover with foil and bake for at least five hours, or even overnight – you want the ribs to be fall-off-the-bone tender.
Once the ribs are cooked, remove from the oven and leave to rest and cool slightly. Meanwhile, heat the grill to medium-high. Brush the ribs all over with the reserved sauce, transfer to the grill and cook for about 10 minutes, until caramelised and slightly charred. Serve with the collards and corn in the next two recipes, and plenty of napkins.
Spiced collard greens
Marcus Samuelsson’s spiced greens.
Fresh collard greens are very hard to source in the UK, so use kale or spring greens instead.
Prep 15 min
Cook 2 hr
Serves 4
For the spiced butter (makes about 720g)
900g unsalted butter
2 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1½ tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1½ tsp fenugreek seeds
1½ tsp ajwain
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp turmeric
For the greens
225g spiced butter (see method)
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 bird’s-eye chillies, minced (or ½ tsp hot red pepper flakes)
1kg fresh collard greens, kale or spring greens, thick stems removed and discarded, leaves chopped
60ml apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp brown sugar
Coarse salt
First make the spiced butter. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Add all the other ingredients and simmer very gently for 30 minutes, so the flavours infuse. Keep an eye on the pan, though – you don’t want the milk solids to brown.
Skim off all the foam and any floating seeds from the top, turn off the heat and leave to sit for about 10 minutes, so the milk solids settle on the bottom of the pan. Carefully pour the spiced butter through a sieve lined with a few layers of muslin or cheesecloth into a container, leaving the solids behind. Leave to cool, then cover and refrigerate – it will keep for ages, and is great on all sorts, from meat and fish to vegetables.
To make the greens, melt the spiced butter in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and chillies, and saute for about five minutes, until the onion has softened. Add the greens, vinegar, sugar and salt to taste, stir and bring to a simmer. Turn down the heat to low, cover the pan and leave to simmer for about an hour and a half, until the greens are very tender. Serve at once.
Grilled street corn
Marcus Samuelsson’s grilled street corn.
Prep 10 min
Cook 15-20 min
Serves 4
1 ripe avocado, halved, stoned and peeled
Juice of 1 lime
½ tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
4 corn cobs, husks and silk removed
60ml vegetable oil
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp berbere spice mix
50g parmesan, grated (in the US, I’d use cojita, a hard, Mexican cow’s cheese)
Put the avocado, lime juice, paprika, half a teaspoon of salt and the olive oil in a blender or food processor and blitz smooth. Transfer to a small container and set aside.
Put the vegetable oil, vinegar, berbere and remaining half-teaspoon of salt in a small bowl, then evenly brush all over the ears of corn.
Heat a grill or griddle pan to medium-high and, once hot, cook the corn for 10 minutes, rotating it frequently so it cooks and colours evenly all over.
Once the corn is cooked, remove from then heat, brush evenly with the avocado mix, dust with the grated cheese and serve at once.
Coconut mango rice pudding
Marcus Samuelsson’s coconut mango rice pudding
Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 8
200g jasmine rice
480ml milk
480ml coconut milk
100g light brown sugar
¼ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp powdered ginger
5cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1 stalk lemongrass, bashed and finely chopped
½ tsp salt
1 vanilla pod
2 tbsp finely shredded unsweetened coconut
165g diced mango
240ml whipping cream
Toasted coconut flakes, to garnish
Put the rice in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse under cold running water for 15 minutes to remove the starch.
Tip the washed rice into a medium saucepan, and add the milk, coconut milk, sugar, cardamom, powdered and fresh ginger, cinnamon, lemongrass and salt. With a sharp knife, cut open the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape the seeds into the pot; discard the pod.
Bring the contents of the pan to a boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer, cover and leave to cook until the rice is tender – about 20 minutes. Transfer the rice to a large bowl, and pick out and discard the cinnamon stick. Add the fresh coconut and mango , stir to combine and leave to cool.
Meanwhile, whip the cream to soft peaks. When the rice pudding is cold, fold in the whipped cream, then gently spoon the mix into ramekins or glasses, garnish with toasted coconut flakes and serve.
• Recipes by Marcus Samuelsson, chef/co-owner of Red Rooster in London EC2, New York and Miami.