Prime rib recipe invokes flavors of America's melting pot
1/4 cup porcini mushroom powder (make your own by simply grinding dried porcini in a spice grinder)
5 garlic gloves, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
One 4- to 6-pound boneless rib-eye roast (ask for the small end), well-trimmed
In a small bowl, combine the sugar, salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, mushroom powder, garlic and olive oil. Stir well to form a thick paste with the consistency of wet sand. Rub the paste all over the rib eye, coating it evenly. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 12 hours.
Remove the rib eye from the fridge, unwrap it and let it stand at room temperature for one hour. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
Place the roast on a rack in a roasting pan, rib side down and far side up, and insert a meat thermometer in a thick part. Roast for 30 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 325 F and continue to cook until the meat reaches 5 to 10 degrees below the desired final temperature (125 F for a final temp of 135 F for medium-rare). Remove, and allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving.
(Mario Batali is the award-winning chef behind twenty-five restaurants including Eataly, Del Posto, and his flagship Greenwich Village enoteca, Babbo.)
