Barbecued rump steak with salsa verde & spring onions

SERVES 4

Rump is a wonderful cut of beef: it’s a little chewier than fillet or rib, but full of flavour. A wood-fired or charcoal grill will give the best results, but you can still cook a great steak on a gas barbecue. Salsa verde traditionally includes milk-soaked breadcrumbs and a chopped hard-boiled egg, but I like this variation for its lightness.

4 x 180–200g rump steaks, preferably grass-fed 12 spring onions, trimmed extra virgin olive oil sea salt 1 lemon, quartered SPICE RUB 2 teaspoons sea salt 1 tablespoon cumin seeds 1 tablespoon fennel seeds 1 teaspoon mild chilli flakes SALSA VERDE ½ cup (125ml) extra virgin olive oil small handful of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley 2 teaspoons salted baby capers, rinsed and drained 2 large anchovy fillets, chopped finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon ½ teaspoon mild chilli flakes 1 teaspoon sea salt freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 SPICE RUB Use a mortar and pestle to finely grind all the ingredients together.

2 Remove steaks from fridge 2 hours before cooking: place on a plate and drizzle with olive oil, then rub the spice mix all over and leave to come to room temperature. 3 SALSA VERDE Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

4 Heat the barbecue to hot and clean the grill bars. Put the steaks on the grill at a 45-degree angle to the grill bars and cook for 4 minutes, then rotate to 45 degrees in the opposite direction and cook, still on the same side, for a further 4 minutes. Now turn the steaks over and cook for a final 5 minutes. (These timings are for medium-rare.) Remove and leave to rest in a warm place for 10 minutes.

5 While the steaks are resting, drizzle the spring onions with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and grill for about 5 minutes or until tender and lightly charred.

6 To serve, put each steak on a chopping board and cut into 2 cm slices. Place three spring onions on each plate and lay a steak on top, arranging the strips so they overlap. Spoon over the Salsa Verde, then add a lemon quarter to each plate and serve.