Have It: Pork Ribs and Sweet Parsnips

Recreated from A Time of Dread by John Gwynne

Riv sat in her barrack's feast-hall, picking at a plate of boar ribs and sweet parsnips. Jost and Vald were with her, sitting beside each other. At any other time the sight of them would have made her chuckle
...
'Don't want that? I'll finish it for you,' Vald said, eyeing up her plate
​...
'Have it,' Riv said, pushing her unfinished food towards Vald.
'I'd have had that!' Jost exclaimed, eyes bulging in his gaunt face. He ate almost as much as Vald, not that you'd know it to look at him, the two of them often arguing over food. 
'Too slow.' Vald winked at Jost.

John Gwynne's feast-halls play host to some hearty fantasy staples. 'A Time of Dread' features steaming tea, warming porridge, tender meats, melting onions, sweet vegetables and thick gravies. There's even a dog's dinner – a well-earned restorative for the brave hound – that sounds fit for the table of any fantasy food fan. You'll find it listed here along with the rest of the book's victuals. 

Of the various meats mentioned, I've gone for the ribs (pork, from the butcher's rather than from a wild boar I've speared myself) and slathered them in a honey glaze. Honey is one of the book's recurring ingredients, eaten for medicinal purposes as well as pleasure. In light of that, let's raise a horn of mead to this healthy​ meal and argue over who gets to pick the bones clean for some extra goodness.

This is a dish best cooked 'low and slow' so leave time for up to four hours in the oven.

Ingredients (serves 2)

The ribs themselves:
Six ribs, appr. 700g
Salt and pepper to season

For the glaze:
3 tbsp honey
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar*
1 tsp paprika
*any vinegar will do as an alternative

Parsnips:
2 parsnips
2 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to season

Instructions

           For the ribs:

1. Preheat oven to 130°C (270°F) fan assisted. Line a baking tray with parchment paper. 
2. Remove the membrane from the bone-side of the pork (see picture below). Season both sides. 
3. Place the ribs meat-side down in your pre-prepared baking tray and cover loosely with foil. 
4. Cook in your pre-heated oven for 3 hours 15 minutes (a little less or longer won't hurt it). 
   
   For the parsnips:
5. Peel the parsnips and slice them in half. 
6. Parboil the parsnips (appr. 8 minutes), then lay them on a baking tray with a drizzle of oil and the dried thyme. 
7. Roast in the oven at the same time as the ribs for 1 hour 15 minutes (the oven temperature is low enough to warrant this). 
   
   For the glaze:
8. A few minutes before removing the ribs from the oven, gently heat all of the glaze ingredients in a saucepan.
9. Remove the ribs from the oven and flip them over so the meat-side is now facing up. Cover with the glaze and return to the oven uncovered for 20 minutes. 
10. Leave to cool for a few minutes, then carve up and serve. 

To serve: I served with carrots roasted in the same way and at the same time as the parsnips, as well as some steamed Swiss chard. The best addition, however, was some blue cheese – perfect for breaking up the sweetness of the honey and parsnips.