Dear reader,

Happy Saturday! I hope you’re well. 

After some unseasonal, although not unusual for Canberra, cold days, the sun was shining today! If you’re a first-time reader and from somewhere in the northern hemisphere of our amazing planet, I live in Canberra, the capital city of Australia.

We’re continuing to see case numbers of COVID-19 rise in some jurisdictions while the growth slope in others is falling. Unfortunately, we’re now seeing the fatality numbers rise. I’m not impressed that healthcare professionals and politicians quip that the people dying are older or have comorbidities. These are humans who are dying. Most of the dead had families and friends who loved them and would mourn and grieve. I’m not getting any younger, and I have close friends who are vulnerable, or they have vulnerable children. I don’t want to mourn the loss of a friend or family member. I don’t want to grieve with a friend who loses a son or daughter.

Enough of the moroseness. I’ve had a great week, made better by the love and kindness of those who are closest to me.

Ingredients

• Rump roast
• Pumpkin
• Sour cream
• Marmalade
• Instant gravy
• Frozen peas

Instructions

1. Undress the beef from its environmentally unfriendly see-through plastic.
2. Dry the meat with absorbent paper.
3. Season the roast with salt.
4. Dry brine the roast in the refrigerator. (Preferably overnight).
5. Heat the oven to 220 °C (200 °C fan-forced).
6. Insert the meat thermometer deep into the flesh. Ram it in up to the root.
7. Put the meat on a rack over a baking tray and put it into the oven.
8. Set the cooking app according to how you want the beef finished off. I like my meat rare to medium-rare. I like it to be juicy with the meat juices flowing. It gives me a bit of a thrill to give it a poke and see the juices running from it.
9. Cook at this temperature for 15 minutes to get the surface well browned.
10. Reduce the temperature to 170 °C (150 °C fan-forced) and cook according to the instructions provided by the app associated with the thermometer.
11. When instructed, remove from the dish, transfer to a carving board, cover with foil and rest according to the app before carving.
12. Lovingly sharpen your carving knife (as iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend Proverbs 27:17 NLT). I add this proverb because real friends are brave enough, to be honest with each other. That honesty is an expression of love. Honesty leads to growth and stronger relationships. I like that I can be honest with those who I love and cherish.
13. When the meat is well-rested, carve the roast into slices. I like my beef to be thick and meaty. Resting the meat gives it an almost tumescent quality as the flesh retains its juices until you make your incision with your blade.
14. Make the instant gravy according to the maker’s instructions. I nearly wrote “manufacturer’s instructions for use”. I’ve been using that phrase all week for advice I’ve been writing at work. I’m tired of writing it.
15. Cut the pumpkin into small pieces and massage each chunk with some oil and marmalade.
16. Place the pumpkin into the oven, which has been heated for the meat.
17. When the pumpkin is soft, remove it from the oven, put it into a metal or glass bowl and begin to get a little rough with it. I use a fork, but you could use a dedicated masher or even a ricer. It depends on how you want your mash. I also leave the skin on for the extra fibre, and with all the mammal meat I eat, my bowels need all the dietary fibre I can consume.
18. Season the mash with salt and pepper and add a dollop of sour cream. I also like some spring onions in my mash, whether made with pumpkin or spuds. I know some people like chives, but spring onions are more versatile for my cooking style. When I say cooking style, that’s overstating it. I don’t think I’m stylish at all.
19. Cook the frozen peas. You can choose microwave radiation, boiling water, or bunging the peas into a skillet.
20. Plate up the meal however you choose.
21. Give thanks to the Lord.

How was the meal?

I feel like I’m in a bit of an afterglow with this meal. As I was cooking, I was thinking deeply about someone extraordinary.

When I make a mash, a lot depends on how I feel at the time. Sometimes I enjoy a more refined form of mash, almost pureed, and that’s when I’ll use a ricer or blender. Tonight I wanted something more rustic to match the rump roast.

Rump may not be as tender as ribeye; however, in my opinion, it has more flavour. While I never think of ribeye as insipid, roast rump has a more corporeal mouthfeel, and who doesn’t want corporeal mouthfeel? 😉

Final thoughts

• How was your week?
• What sort of mash do you like? Do you prefer potato or pumpkin? Do you enjoy them equally?
• Do you like to treat your spuds or pumpkin a bit roughly or with tenderness for a smooth result?

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments or let me know via Twitter or Facebook.