Criminara Ribs, Squash, Cucumbers, and Rice

Cut apart about 6 lbs of pork spare ribs.  Place in 2 gallon bag with 3 cups peach-apricot criminara (see first thumbnail link below), 1 tbsp kosher sea salt, and 1 cup water. Press air out of bag and seal. Turn about carefully several times to mix, and then press flat and lay on a cookie sheet with rim. Marinate in fridge for 24 hours; you may want to turn bag over after 12.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Take large oblong ridge-bottomed roaster with lid, spray bottom with olive oil and coconut oil. Scatter 1 cup each brown and jasmine rice over bottom. Take 2 two-ounce bricks of jasmine red rice vermicelli noodles, crush in hands, scatter atop rice. Sprinkle with 2 tsp table salt.

Wash two yellow squash, cut into quarters lengthwise, chop into bite-size pieces. Place in roaster. Wash, core, and chop 2 chayote squash into slightly smaller than bite-size pieces, scatter in amongst yellow squash, filling in any gaps. Take one very large home grown cucumber, cut into bite-size pieces, place in roaster.

Take ribs, carefully pour ribs and marinade into roaster. Arrange ribs so that they lie lengthwise in a nice, packed layer. In two-cup liquid measure place 1 cup chicken stock, 3/4 cup pomegranate juice, and 1/4 cup silver rum. Pour carefully into roaster around edges. Cover, bake for 90 minutes.

Salt to taste if necessary; the squash is wonderfully flavorful, as are the ribs, which practically fall off the bone, they are so tender.  The rice was a little burned at bottom, but not badly, just enough to add a nice crisp; more oil might have been in order.  The noodles pretty much disintegrated and became part of the sauce.

This recipe is free of gluten, dairy, egg, nuts, peanuts, canola, tomatoes, grapes, mushrooms, fish, and shellfish.

  Criminara CountdownThis is my fourth year running I've made something I call my Criminara sauce.  I can only make it during a few weeks in the months of May and June, as it requires access to black velvet apricots, which are shipped in to our local Hy-Vee from California.  They were a special draw when the store first opened, and I look forward eagerly to their arrival ever since.
I call it 'Criminara' because of its strong resemblence in appearance to marinara sauce, and its strong, crimson coloration.  My wife, Rachel, has become deathly allergic to tomatoes since having her appendix removed some six years ago now, and this is one of many methods I've devised to make fruit-based pasta sauces for her.  I often use other stone fruits (nectarines, plums, cherries, apricots, and peaces) with mangoes for other sauces, but I only get to make two or three batches of Criminara a year.
When I make Criminara, I tend to make enough for two to three meals, stretching it as best I can; I'll ofte 
   

Red Rice Noodles
Chopped Yellow Squash
Chopped Vegetables
Raw Marinated Ribs
Peach-Apricot Criminara Ribs 1
Peach-Apricot Criminara Ribs 3
Criminara Ribs, Squash, Cucumbers, and Rice 1