A big rustic one-pot meal. Easily expanded with the addition of more vegetables. Serve with a salad for contrast, and some bread or rice if you like. Other cuts of meat you can use here: short ribs, oxtail, or veal shanks.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 to 6 servings

　　3 to 4 pounds spareribs, cut into individual ribs, excess fat removed

　　2 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil

　　1 large onion, sliced

　　2 medium carrots, roughly chopped

　　2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

　　1 small head of green or Savoy cabbage, about 1 1/2 pounds, cored and shredded

　　1/2 pound parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped

　　1/2 pound waxy potatoes, peeled and halved or quartered (the chunks should be large)

　　1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried

　　1 tablespoon caraway seeds

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　Chopped fresh parsley or celery leaves for garnish

　　

Step 1

Put the spareribs in a pot with water to cover and bring to a boil. Simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

　　

Step 2

Put the butter in a large flameproof casserole with a lid and place it over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, celery, cabbage, parsnips, potatoes, thyme, caraway, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage begins to wilt, about 5 minutes.

　　

Step 3

Remove the ribs and nestle them in the cabbage as well as you can. Add about 2 cups of the rib-cooking liquid and bring to a boil. Cover and adjust the heat so the mixture simmers steadily. Cook for about an hour, then check; stir carefully

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.