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GOODNESS
Allspice: No, this isn't a mixture of everything in your spice rack, but rather a dried berry of the pimenta tree. If that's a surprise to you, imagine how Columbus felt -- he thought it was pepper (thus the name pimenta, which is Spanish for pepper). The berries look a little like plump peppercorns and the flavor is pungent, but it is not pepper. The best allspice comes from Jamaica.
For the freshest flavor, you should buy allspice in berry form and grind or crush it as needed. The taste is a pleasant mix of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Used in jerks and for pickling, it goes great with meat and gives a nice kick to soups and stews.
Rosemary: This piney herb adds great flavor to many meats, but the surprise is how good it is for you. It has anti-inflammatory chemicals, making it useful in the treatment of liver and heart disease as well as asthma. It seems to have some potent anti-tumor properties and has been researched for its use against breast, colon and skin cancer. Although still being researched, it may be a useful tonic for the brain and has been used since ancient times as a memory enhancer. Although it is just fine in foods, you should avoid strong tinctures of rosemary if you are pregnant.
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Recipe

Roast Prime Ribs of Beef with Pink and Green Pepper Crust and Red-Wine Pan Sauce

serves
prep time: 10
cook time: 206

ingredients

  • a 4 rib standing rib roast (about 8 pounds trimmed)
  • crust
  • 3 tablespoons pink peppercorns*, crushed lightly
  • 3 tablespoons freeze-dried green peppercorns, crushed lightly
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • *available at specialty foods shops
  • sauce
  • 2/3 cup dry red wine
  • 4 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • Garnish: rosemary sprigs

directions

Let rib roast stand at room temperature 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Make crust:

In a small bowl combine crust ingredients, stirring to form a paste.

Pat beef dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a roasting pan roast beef, ribs side down, 30 minutes. Transfer beef to a platter and discard remaining drippings.

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Return beef to roasting pan, ribs side down, and spread with peppercorn paste. Roast beef 1 hours more, or until a meat thermometer inserted in fleshy section registers 135 degrees. for medium-rare meat.

Transfer beef to a cutting board and discard strings if necessary. Let beef stand, covered loosely, at least 20 minutes and up to 30 minutes before carving.

Make sauce:

Skim fat from drippings in roasting pan. To pan add wine and deglaze over moderately high heat, scraping up brown bits. Boil mixture until reduced by about half and transfer to a saucepan. Add broth and boil 5 minutes.

In a small bowl dissolve cornstarch in Worcestershire sauce and water and add to pan in a stream, whisking. Bring sauce to a boil, whisking, and boil 1 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper.

Garnish rib roast and serve with sauce.