First birthday BBQ

Whenever I go to a barbecue or potluck with friends, I bring cabbage salad. I got the recipe from my mother, who received it from a family friend. My mom made cabbage salad the first time when I was in high school (I think? Possibly college?) for Easter dinner, undoubtedly served alongside some kind of ham. The salad was a hit, and was soon incorporated into our Thanksgiving menu. I love Thanksgiving and am very protective over that menu, so this was no small feat.

Cabbage salad is a great potluck dish because it doesn't need to be served immediately. Don't make it too far ahead though -- if I am really pressed for time I shred the cabbage and make the dressing the night before but wait to dress it in the morning. The salad follows a simple formula:

Cabbage + dried fruit + fresh fruit + something crunchy + herbs + dressing

I generally use the same ingredients (red cabbage, golden raisins, mandarin oranges, whatever nuts and herbs I have), but for my friends' housewarming/first birthday bash for their son, I wanted something a bit more special. I added fennel for the first time, and I think I'm going to stick with it. The fennel adds a level of complexity to the flavor of this salad; some said it was my best ever!

Best ever cabbage salad

Time: 15 minutes (depending on your knife skills)
Serves: A crowd

Ingredients
1/2 a red cabbage (or one really small one, but I've never found one that small)
1 bulb fennel
6 large sprigs mint, chopped
2 cans mandarin oranges (drain and reserve some juice for the dressing)
2 generous handfuls golden raisins
3/4 cup cashews, roughly chopped
Apple cider vinegar
Olive oil

Method
1. Shred the cabbage and fennel into thin strips. I find this works best with a serrated knife. Toss in a large bowl.

2. Add the chopped herbs (mint and some of the fennel fronds), nuts, raisins, and oranges to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Make the vinaigrette. I use olive oil, apple cider vinegar, some of the juice from the oranges, and some water. Combine until you like the way it tastes; use a strip of cabbage to taste it. I mix my dressing in a can from the mandarin oranges and it should be roughly half full with dressing.

4. Pour the vinaigrette over the cabbage. Don't drown it, but the cabbage should be shiny. Stir gently; your bowl will probably be pretty full.

I also made some ribs. They were not the best ever. I was a bit perplexed since I have successfully made this recipe before, but with a much bigger, fattier slab of ribs and with a different, slightly colder oven. Get to know your oven. Mine runs at least 25 degrees hotter than specified. This batch came out quite crispy, but still tasty and it's such an easy recipe that I'd definitely try it again. Perhaps at a lower temperature, perhaps not for as much time, perhaps with a few peeks inside the tin foil pouch to make sure that the ribs don't burn.

Dry-rubbed ribs
Adapted from A Girl Worth Saving

Time: about 5 minutes to prep, about 3 hours to cook
Servings: 4 as a main course, more if you bring it to a potluck where there is other stuff

Ingredients
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tbsp salt
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tbsp chili powder

1 large rack of pork spare ribs

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (or less if your oven runs hot - I might try 300 next time).

2. Combine the spices in a small bowl and mix well.

3. Put a large piece of tin foil down on top of a rimmed baking sheet and place the ribs on top of the tin foil. Dry the meat with paper towels and rub thoroughly with the spice mixture.

4. Put another large piece of tin foil on top of the ribs and fold to the two pieces together to create a sealed packet. The packet goes in the oven on top of the baking sheet to make sure that nothing drips into your oven.

5. Cook for 3 hours or more. Check periodically to make sure your ribs don't burn to a crisp (after 2 hours and then again every half hour subsequently).