MONDO EXTRAS

I was really confused by Neelix's repeated references to his own version of the soups, but then I checked the index and all was made clear. In the Voyager section of the cookbook, under Tuvok's recipes, Neelix has "Plomeek Soup à la Neelix." He even says that this is the recipe that was "spoon-fed to Mr. Spock himself by Nurse Chapel." I looked over the ingredients, which not only included more varieties of vegetables but also called for curry powder and nutmeg. Hmm -- that could warrant a try some other time. I just find it odd that the Nurse Chapel reference is made here instead of simply putting her name on the TOS recipe.

"Scott Bakula's Honey Garlic Ribs" from Canadian TV Guide, May 2002

The accompanying article doesn't make it entirely clear whether these are actually Bakula's recipes or just ones the editors made up to match the discussion in the interview. I'm going to assume they're Bakula's, because it makes the exercise more fun.

At the outset, I just want to note that the three pounds of pork ribs I bought were butchered in the "St. Louis style," which makes a nice little homage to Bakula's hometown in Missouri. By the way, those three pounds of pork? Now completely gone at the publication of this piece.

This was a pretty straightforward recipe -- much like its creator, you could say -- and I don't have too many comments on the process. When dealing with the garlic, I preferred to whack the whole garlic cloves with a pestle before mincing them with my knife. The whacking actually brings out more of the garlic essence than simple mincing. Also, when making the marinade it's a good idea to make sure the hoisin sauce is completely assimilated into the other ingredients; otherwise you'll get random pockets of hoisin all over the ribs. Whisking with a fork does the trick. Finally, the recipe says to put the ribs and the marinade in a roasting pan and then bake them for an hour at 350 degrees. I think that's fine, but now I have a pan that's going to be impossible to clean, as all the sugars present in the marinade turned to fossil fuel in the oven.

Taste Test: Yum -- these ribs turned out perfectly. I am so glad I took the time to marinate the ribs overnight, because it really made a huge difference. I'm actually pretty picky about my ribs, so it thrills me to report that these ribs were juicy, succulent, and delicious. For the last few minutes when the ribs were basted and shoved under the broiler, I actually changed pans so as to avoid a potential fire in my oven with that charcoaled marinade. Despite the rather monochromatic presentation on the plate, the ribs went quite happily with Bones's Beans. Together, they are a match made in heaven. Like me and Spock.