I had an uncle named Dick Crook. Nice guy; Veteran; Smoker, drinker. That’s my basic memory of him, except for a phrase that he used that struck me: he referred to a certain dish we were having when we visited him (my dad’s sister was his wife) as “stick-to-your-ribs food.” It was some hearty meal — I don’t recall exactly what it was, but I do remember that I liked it; yet I still wanted to know what “stick-to-your-ribs” meant. Taken literally, it didn’t seem to make any sense at all. I don’t recall what the explanation given was, just that I was still somewhat in the dark and intrigued about it, even after being “enlightened” as to its meaning.
I use that phrase today, and what it now means to me is something with the flavor called “Umami” (the other food flavors are salty, sweet, sour, and bitter). “Umami” sounds like a retort someone might jokingly give (I’m thinking “Your mama!”), but what it means is savory, or even meaty. And true, what I call “stick-to-your-ribs food” always, or at least the lion’s share of the time, does contain meat.
Rather than go off on a tangent about the other four flavors that everyone is familiar with (sweet, salty, sour, and bitter), and even resisting the temptation to explain the somewhat subtle difference between bitter and sour — except to say that dark chocolate and kale are examples of bitter foods while cranberries and vinegar are examples of sour foods — I just want to give an example of a “stick-to-your-ribs” dish which I occasionally make for my wife and myself.
As a final side note on those other flavors, Reese’s peanut butter cups — when fresh! — are my favorite example of a combination of sweet and salty — so much so that they are “dangerous” in that you never get “sweeted out” or “salted out” eating them, as those two flavors sort of cancel each other out.
CLAY’S CABBAGE-O-RAMA
Cook ingredients on medium high together on stove — or separate in two pans and then mix later, stirring everything together so that the flavors "swap around" (as Huck Finn put it); feeds between 2 and 200, depending on how hungry everyone is.
The rice, of course, has to be prepared separately and then added to the rest of the ingredients before serving.
Pair it with a bottle or two of 1988 Chateau Lafite Rothschild or a jug of Mountain Dew (preferably the moonshine, not the soft drink).
INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound hamburger, spiced up with red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, minced onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning (cook the hamburger first by itself, draining out the grease before adding the other ingredients)
One half of a large cabbage, chopped
1 can of sweet corn (Niblets preferred, but they are outrageously expensive)
1 package of Vigo brand (I am not affiliated with them!) “Cilantro Lime Rice” or “White & Wild Rice”
At least six cloves of garlic (you can never have too much garlic) or 40 tons of garlic powder (whichever you have on hand)
One large onion, diced
1 can of Kidney beans, rinsed
Add a squeeze of lemon juice, a sprinkling of nutmeg, a squirt of Dijon mustard, and a few drops of Underberg, if you’ve got it.
Umami! (StYR)