This is a really easy dish that takes some time. But once you get it started (which will take just five minutes or so), you can all but ignore it during the cooking, just checking every now and then to turn the ribs and make sure the liquid doesn’t dry out. To make this into a whole-meal stew, use two cups of water and add some peeled and chunked carrots or turnips, whole pearl onions or shallots, or all of these. Some shredded cabbage added during the last half hour or so of cooking is also good.

　　

Ingredients

makes 4 servings

　　2 pounds pork spareribs, cut into pieces, or beef short ribs

　　1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce

　　1 whole star anise

　　1 small dried chile

　　5 slices fresh ginger (don’t bother to peel)

　　2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed

　　2 teaspoons sugar

　　

Step 1

Combine the meat, 1/4 cup soy sauce, the anise, chile, ginger, garlic, and sugar with 1/2 cup of water in a skillet just broad enough to hold the meat.

　　

Step 2

Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2 hours or so, turning the meat occasionally and adding water 1/2 cup at a time if and when the pan dries out. The meat is done when it is tender and nearly falling from the bone.

　　From Mark Bittman's Quick and Easy Recipes From the New York Times by Mark Bittman Copyright (c) 2007 by Mark Bittman Published by Broadway Books.Mark Bittman is the author of the blockbuster 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.