PORK RIBS WITH BBQ SAUCE & CAULIFLOWER WITH BECHAMEL

This recipe is from a book by Ferran Adria, the world's best chef from the legendary restaurant 'elBulli' in Catalonia. It is one of the meals served to the restaurant's staff. Simple, tasty and affordable recipes eaten together before the service begun. This recipe can be done using bought BBQ sauce, but if you have the time to make the following homemade elBulli's recipe below, you are going to enjoy a delightful meal and keep some leftover sauce to use with some good BBQ sausages or meat. Finger licking is allowed! 💛😋🤩

INGREDIENTS
BBQ sauce
2 red onions, chopped very finely
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 Tbsp lemongrass, chopped finely
2 Tbsp ginger, grated
juice of 1 orange
70g brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp runny honey
1 1/2 Tbsp molasses or treacle
40ml sherry vinegar
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
200g ketchup
300g tinned chopped tomatoes
Pork ribs
2 pork rib racks 
salt
250g BBQ sauce

100ml water
grated peel of one orange
Cauliflower with bechamel
1 cauliflower
600ml whole milk
4 tsp butter
4 tsp flour
1 pinch nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper
salt
olive oil
80g parmesan cheese, grated

METHOD:
BBQ sauce using Thermomix

Start by making the BBQ sauce. Prepare all the ingredients. Put a medium saucepan over a medium heat, then add the oil. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, until dark golden.
Add the garlic and cook for 3 minutes more. Add the brown sugar, orange juice and molasses or treacle and let the mixture cook for 3 minutes.
Pour in the honey and add the ginger, lemongrass, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and ketchup. 
Add the tomatoes and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt.

Strain through a fine-meshed sieve until most of the solids are in the bowl.

Leave to cool.

To make the BBQ ribs, preheat the oven to 180°C.
Put the ribs into a roasting tin, meat side up, then season with salt.
Cover the meat completely with half of the BBQ sauce and add the water to dilute the sauce a little. Cover the pan with foil and roast in the oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Baste a few times with the BBQ sauce, to ensure the meat stays moist. Remove the foil and add more BBQ sauce to the ribs. Cook uncovered for about 20 minutes or until brown and tender. The racks are ready when they are dark and golden and the meat is falling away from the bones.

While the ribs are cooking, prepare the cauliflower. Cut off the stem and leaves. Cut the head into florets no larger than 3cm.

Bring a large pan of water to the boil, add the cauliflower and cook for about 8 minutes or until just tender.

Drain the cauliflower, taking care not to damage the delicate florets and season with salt, white pepper and extra virgin olive oil.
To make the bechamel sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour, whisking until the mixture becomes smooth.
Add the milk, a bit at a time whisking continuously to ensure there are no lumps.

Add the salt, nutmeg and pepper into the sauce and when boiling, leave it to cook over a very low heat for about 10 - 15 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent it from sticking.
Spoon a layer of bechamel into a large heatproof baking dish and scatter the cauliflower over it, then cover with the rest of the sauce.
Heat the grill to high. Sprinkle the cauliflower with the grated parmesan.
Cook under the grill for about 5 minutes until the cheese is golden and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.

Sometimes, I like to add a little bit of tomato passata to the bechamel sauce, and it gives it a beautiful look and it tastes delicious.

To serve, separate the ribs and place them on a serving dish. Finish with a fine grating of orange zest to serve. Accompany with the cauliflower and a bit more BBQ sauce on the side.

SERVES 4