Mike Sabella, our 2015 recipe contest winner, actually submitted 2 recipes. His Prosciutto Wrapped Halibut easily convinced the judges to award him first prize in the contest. His second recipe, Chicken-Fried Porcini Ribs, captured the judges' attention with its unique mushroom powder and panko coating. Michael graciously agreed to allow us to print this second creation on our website as a "Recipe of the Month".
Hum, the judges wondered after tasting the ribs, can Michael be a fan of a favorite Japanese dish, Pork Tonkatsu? The similarity is certainly there. In fact, one of the judges whipped up a batch of homemade tonkatsu sauce to serve with the ribs... we all found it to be a delicious contrast to the cool cucumber sauce. We've included a recipe for this yummy, homemade tonkatsu sauce at the bottom of this post, in case you'd like to try it as well.
When dried and ground into a fine
powder, boletes make a delicious coating.
Chicken-Fried Porcini Ribs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup porcini mushroom powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
3 pounds baby back ribs, cut into individual ribs
2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
Oil for frying
- In a bowl, combine flour and mushroom powder and season with salt and garlic powder.
- In another bowl, combine eggs and Worcestershire sauce.
- Dredge ribs in the seasoned flour, shaking off excess coating.
- Dip floured ribs into egg mixture, and then thoroughly coat with panko. Refrigerate one hour.
- Heat oil to 325 degrees. Fry ribs in batches, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, 7-8 minutes per batch. As ribs are cooked, transfer them to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet and keep warm in oven while cooking remaining ribs. Be sure to return oil to 325 degrees between batches.
Cucumber Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 English cucumber, coarsely grated
1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Combine all ingredients and serve with ribs.
The Judges' Homemade Tonkatsu Sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Combine all ingredients and serve as an alternative to Michael Sabella's Cucumber Sauce.