Tour of Fifty States: Kansas's meal

We had the meal for Kansas last weekend and the Sunflower State's food was a huge success!  I decided on Kansas City-style ribs.  YES there are two Kansas Cities adjacent to each other and the "Kansas City" style of barbecue is really from the KC in neighboring Missouri.  Close enough for me.  :)

Kansas' Meal 

Menu: Kansas City-Style Ribs, Cauliflower "Mac and Cheese", Salad sprinkled with Sunflower seeds, and Sunflower Oatmeal Cookies. 

Outcome: The ribs were fall off the bone delicious and the sauce was so good.  The cookie recipe said "Makes about 36" but I made 55 using the heaping teaspoon of dough as described.  I've made the adjusted measurement in the recipe.  Very yummy.

Next up:  All six of us chose a state, oldest to youngest.  We decided that for this round, we will be choosing the states from youngest to oldest.  Brandi chose Ohio!

Kansas City-Style Ribs 

Ingredients

RUB:

·         3 Tbsp. sweet paprika

·         4 tsp. kosher salt

·         3 tsp. light brown sugar

·         2 tsp. garlic powder

·         2 tsp. onion powder

·         2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

·         1 ½ tsp. ginger powder

·         ½ tsp. cayenne

·         2 racks St. Louis-cut pork ribs (about 4 1/2 lb.)

BBQ SAUCE:

·         2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

·         6 cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped

·         2 Tbsp. tomato paste

·         1 slightly heaping Tbsp. chili powder

·         1 Tbsp. paprika

·         1 tsp. crushed red pepper

·         ¼ tsp. ground allspice

·         Pinch ground cloves

·         2 cups ketchup

·         ½ cup cider vinegar

·         ¼ cup dark molasses

·         3/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

·         1 Tbsp. kosher salt

·         1 Tbsp. soy sauce

·         1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

·         2 tsp. dry mustard

·         1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

·         1 bay leaf

Directions

1.      Preheat the oven to 275 º F.

2.      For the rub: Whisk together the paprika, salt, sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, mustard and cayenne for the rub.

3.      Turn the rib racks bone-side-up and remove the thin membrane layer covering the ribs by lifting up a small corner with a paring knife and tugging it off. You can use a paper towel to secure your grip.

4.      Rub the spice mixture all over both racks. Place both racks, bone-side-up, on a baking sheet lined with foil.

MMM ribs!

5.      Cover with foil and put in the oven. The meat should be tender enough to easily insert your knife into the ribs after 1 1/2 hours.

6.      As the ribs cook, make your BBQ sauce. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, chili powder, paprika, red pepper, allspice and cloves and cook, stirring, until the paste is dark brick red, about 3 minutes. Add the ketchup, 2 cups water, vinegar, molasses, brown sugar, salt, soy sauce, Worcestershire, mustard, black pepper and bay leaf. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the flavors come together, about 30 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaf before using. You should have about a quart of sauce.

7.      Set aside 1 1/2 cups of sauce for basting. Serve the remaining sauce on the side for dipping.

8.      After the ribs have been in the oven for 1 1/2 hours, remove the foil cover and brush the ribs with BBQ sauce.

9.      Cook uncovered until the meat is fork tender and comes off the bone easily, another 1 1/2 hours.

10.  While the ribs cook, keep basting and flipping them every half hour.

11.  Serve with reserved BBQ sauce on the side. Keep any leftover BBQ sauce in your refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Cauliflower "Mac" and Cheese

 Ingredients

·         Kosher salt, as needed, plus 1/2 teaspoon

·         1 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets

·         Vegetable oil spray

·         1 cup heavy cream

·         2 oz. cream cheese, cut into small pieces

·         1 ½ tsp. Dijon mustard

·         1 ½ cups shredded sharp Cheddar, plus ½ cup for topping the casserole

·         ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

·         1/8 tsp. garlic powder

Cheesy goodness!

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 375 F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season the water with salt.

2.      Spray the baking dish with vegetable oil spray.

3.      Cook the cauliflower in the boiling water until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well and pat between several layers of paper towels to dry. Transfer the cauliflower to the baking dish and set aside.

4.      Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan, and whisk in the cream cheese and mustard until smooth.

5.      Stir in 1 cup of the cheese, salt, pepper and garlic and whisk just until the cheese melts, about 1 to 2 minutes.

6.      Remove from heat, pour over the cauliflower, and stir to combine.

7.      Top with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese and bake until browned and bubbly hot, about 15 minutes.

Serves 6.

Sunflower Oatmeal Cookies 

Ingredients:

•          1 cup white sugar

•          1 cup packed brown sugar

•          1 cup butter, softened

•          2 eggs

•          1 tsp. vanilla extract

•          2 cups all-purpose flour

•          ½ tsp. baking powder

•          1 tsp. baking soda

•          2 cups rolled oats

•          1 cup roasted and salted sunflower seeds

Directions:

1.      Preheat the oven to 350 º F (175 º C).

2.      In a large bowl, cream together the white sugar, brown sugar, and butter until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla.

3.      Combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the rolled oats and sunflower seeds.

4.      Drop dough by heaping teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheets. Leave room for spreading.

5.      Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the cookies begin to brown around the edge. Allow cookies to set for a few minutes on the sheet before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Makes about 36.