Sunday, April 17, 2011

Recipe 84: Outstanding Rib Roast with Gremolata

The challenge: Rib roast generally starts at $9.00 a pound at the butcher shop and goes up from there...this recipe calls for a 7-8# rib roast. I do not have that kind of disposable income, and it seems I have less and less as time goes on. Alas, I obviously found a way to make this succulent dinner. Ric's, a local grocery store had rib-eye steaks on sale for $5.99 a pound. When I found that ad, I decided to check it out. I could probably work in 2# to my budget and quarter the recipe. I ended up getting individual steaks instead of a roast, and I got three small ones that were less than a pound each. For about $15.00, I got out with there with between 2 and 2 1/2# of meat.

I decided to make this for dinner, as roasting anything takes some time. I was glad I picked a lazy sunday for this, I was able to get so much done in the mean time. I pulled the steaks or "roast" out of the fridge and let them sit at room temperature for nearly an hour.

I tossed in a load of laundry then painted some pots for my nieces and nephews easter gift. Relax, the paint is mostly acrylic and washes off with soap and water and a small scrub brush. Once those tasks were done, I began making the paste for the edges of the meat.

I added 1/4 cup of oil to the processor, then the smashed garlic cloves(this is why I ran out for the horseradish-it called for a lot), next I added the onions and the small can of anchovy filets. I wasn't certain either, but you gotta get flavor somewhere. Next I took the leaves of about five sprigs of rosemary and placed them in the food processor. I processed until smooth, or close anyways. It was hard to tell in the food processor with this blend. I set that aside and began to chop veggies for the roast. I chopped celery, onion, and carrot into one inch pieces. If I would have had more experience roasting things for short times, I would have cut the vegetable pieces smaller. They ended up a little crunchy, but were still good.

I then began brushing the paste onto the steaks. It said to cover all sides, and I did for each individual steak. Then I got the vegetables and realized the steaks were supposed to be laid on top of them. I gently lifted each steak and placed the vegetables under the steaks as evenly as possible without moving them too much.

I roasted these steaks somewhere between 30 and 40 minutes at 400 degrees. I had set the alarm on my phone for 2:45PM, giving them about an hour. When I got home from picking up the garlic for the horseradish sauce I was working on, I realized the steaks were ready. Things smelled overdone and my kitchen was a smidgen smoky. I found a potholder/dish cloth and pulled the roasting pan out immediately. The edges were blackened. I worried that they were overdone and ruined. I had to let them sit for 30-40 minutes to find out. I decided not to worry about it and finished the horseradish cream sauce and gremolata.

After those were both done, about 30 minutes later, I sliced gently into the edge to find beautifully roasted meat that tasted very succulent and had excellent flavor even without the brine. The brine added a lot. I was in heaven. I tried another bite dipped in the horseradish sauce. Pure heaven in a steak. Then I topped a bite with both horseradish sauce and gremolata. I was not disappointed. Wow, in fact, I was thoroughly convinced of Emeril's genius with food at this point. If only I could afford to share this with family and friends.

I did tell James that I almost ate the whole thing at the stove and would have brought him and puppy bones and juices to taste later. It was simply incredible.
I will definitely make this recipe again, I just have to save up nearly $100 for the ingredients, $50 would make half though;-). I can not wait until I can do this again.

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