#tenet inspired time travel au

[spoilers-ahead]

oooooh imagine a time travel utrh au except the time travel is a mix between our regular time travel and the inversed shit from tenet so what we have is bruce trying to solve a series of murders while dealing with a) a dick who desperately wants distance as equally as he wants to prove himself outside of batman, who hates when bruce tries to bench him and makes it his mission to do the opposite, b) a jason that is robin and is pissed at being benched because of some two-bit serial killer, and determined to make bruce's life miserable by being as sulky as possible, and c) the red hood who is the one doing the serial killing, except by the time bruce reaches the victims the bullet holes that killed them have disappeared because they were shot with an inverse bullet so it still causes the damage but it 'heals' them along the way, so he's just absolutely pulling his hair out.

[abramsbooks]

RECIPE: Balsamic Barbecued Ribs (from Acid Trip by Michael Harlan Turkell)

I was first introduced to the five Amici Acidi, or “vinegar friends,” when I sampled a 100-ml spray bottle of grape vinegar from Friuli-Venezia Giulia, a region in northeast Italy near the Slovenian border. There, nestled in the hills at the base of the Dolomites, Joško Sirk and his son Mitja operate their vinegar factory, Sirk Della Subida, in conjunction with a hotel called La Subida—a first-rate gastronomic getaway.

Although they do make wine, they are better known for their vinegar, whose labels boldly name the grapes responsible for the contents of each bottle. Identifying the grapes is more than pride of product: it is to dispel the myth that all vinegars are mere by-products of bad vinification. Sirk’s method is simple yet precise: vibrantly aromatic Ribolla Gialla grape juice is aged five years in oak. The result? A spectacularly idiosyncratic vinegar, undeniably evocative of the grapes themselves. Sirk believes that by using top quality, unadulterated, raw ingredients— in no way manipulated by mechanization (e.g., acetators)—the grapes’ natural flavor and aroma is preserved and, better yet, showcased.

His philosophy is shared by his four fellow Amici Acidi: Baron Andreas Widmann in Alto Adige; Mario Pojer of Pojer e Sandri and Andrea Paternoster of Mieli Thun, both in Trentino; and Andrea Bezzecchi. Any one of these friends would have been a great exemplar of their shared vinegar philosophy, but since I was headed to Modena, I had decided to reach out to Bezzecchi, in the hope that he could act as the group’s ambassador.

I thought we’d discuss their different approaches, flavor profiles, and points of view about vinegar, so it was quite unexpected when Bezzecchi wanted to talk about barbecue—perhaps his attempt to relate the Italian palate to the American. He told me there are two warring factions regarding smoked meat in Emilia-Romagna, the large region of northern Italy that includes Modena and Reggio Emilia. (This led me to ask, obtusely, “Wait—you put balsamic vinegar in your barbecue sauce?”)

Following the tenets of good barbecue (generally speaking: “slow and low,” i.e., a long time on a low temperature) guarantees the meat’s tenderness and thorough flavor absorption. Similarly, the slow and steady methods of well-crafted vinegar maximize the flavor and quality of each batch. Vinegar, like meat, also shows signs of its progress on the surface: While smoking a brisket, you’re aiming for a crusty bark and a well-defined smoke ring just beneath it; in vinegar you’re watching for the formation of a mother, a substance made of cellulose and living acetobacter (acetic acid bacteria), which floats at the top of fermenting liquids.

The second I got back to the United States, I began a hunt for the perfect vinegar-rich barbecue sauce. As serendipity would have it, Jon & Vinny’s, an Italian-inspired restaurant in Los Angeles known for creative yet casual pizza and pasta, proved to be just the place for what I was seeking. They in fact have a house-made tomato vinegar, established with verjus and white wine vinegar, heirloom tomato scraps, and some sugar, but it’s an ode to old school balsamic that’s the mark of distinction.

BALSAMIC BARBECUED RIBS (From Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, Animal, Son Of A Gun, and Jon & Vinny’s, Los Angeles, California)

Serves 4 to 6

For the barbecue sauce:

1 cup (240 ml) ketchup

1 (12-ounce / 360 ml) bottle of beer, lager style, about 1½ cups

½ cup (120 ml) balsamic vinegar

1 medium red onion, diced

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

½ cup (110 g) brown sugar

3 tablespoons honey

1½ tablespoons grainy mustard

1 to 2 teaspoons tabasco sauce, depending on how hot and tangy you like your ribs

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

¼ cup (60 ml) water

To make the barbecue sauce, whisk all of the ingredients together in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, keeping the sauce at a low simmer, and cook uncovered until it’s thick, at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally (you can cook it for up to 3 hours, partially covered, for an intensely deep flavor). This can be made days ahead and brought up to room temperature before being applied to the ribs as follows.

For the ribs:

2 racks St. Louis pork ribs, about 2½ pounds (1.2 kg) each, membrane removed

Canola or grapeseed oil

Salt

4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley

4 sprigs thyme

4 cloves garlic, smashed

Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C).

Place each half rack of ribs on a 2-foot-long sheet of foil, shiny side up. Rub each half rack with enough oil to coat, then sprinkle with salt and divide the herbs and garlic among the packets. Wrap the foil around the ribs tightly and place them in a roasting pan. Roast the ribs for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 250°F (120°C) and cook until the ribs are fork-tender, about another 1½ hours. Remove from the oven, carefully open the foil till the ribs are cool enough to handle, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove herb sprigs and discard.

Turn the oven to broil. Liberally brush the meaty side of the ribs with half of the barbecue sauce and broil until caramelized, 2 to 3 minutes. If you don’t have a built-in broiling element in your oven, then crank the oven to 500°F (260°C) and roast the ribs until the sauce is hot and bubbling. Transfer to a platter and serve with the rest of the barbecue sauce on the side.

In Acid Trip, Michael Harlan Turkell takes readers on a fascinating journey through the world of vinegar. An avid maker of vinegars at home, Turkell traveled throughout North America, France, Italy, Austria, and Japan to learn about vinegar-making practices in places where the art has evolved over centuries. This richly narrated cookbook includes recipes from leading chefs including Daniel Boulud, Barbara Lynch, Michael Anthony, April Bloomfield, Massimo Bottura, Sean Brock, and many others. Dishes range from simple to sophisticated and include Fried Eggs with a Spoonful of Vinegar, Sweet & Sour Peppers, Balsamic Barbecued Ribs, Poulet au Vinaigre, Tomato Tarragon Shrub, and even Vinegar Pie. Turkell also details methods for making your own vinegars with bases as varied as wine, rice, apple cider, and honey. Featuring lush color photographs by the author, Acid Trip is a captivating story of an obsession and an indispensable reference for any food lover who aspires to make and cook with the best ingredients.

For more information, click here.