ROASTED MATANGI BEEF RUMP CAP, RAGÙ OF SPRING VEGETABLES WITH A WILD ONION BUTTER & ANCHOVY CREAM

SERVES 6 / PREPARATION 15 MINUTES PLUS 30 MINUTES RESTING / COOKING 30 MINUTES PLUS 15 MINUTES RESTING

Rump cap is one of my favourite pieces of beef; a generous layer of fat keeps the meat juicy while you roast it and being part of the rump, it’s full of complex beefy flavour.

BEEF

2kg Matangi Beef Rump Cap

Heat the oven to 150℃.

Season the rump cap generously with fine sea salt and leave to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Get a heavy-based ovenproof pan warm, put in the rump cap, fat-side down, and slowly render the fat. A lot of fat will be released; drain most of it from the pan and save for some Yorkshire puddings. Once the fat has rendered and turned crisp (about 15 minutes on a low heat) flip the rump over and sear the other sides until golden brown. Baste with the rendered fat in the pan, then place in the oven for 15–20 minutes or until medium rare. Leave to rest in a warm place for at least 15 minutes before carving.

WILD ONION BUTTER

This will make more than you need but keeps well in the fridge and makes a delicious addition to a roast chicken or for baking fish.

100g wild onions/three-cornered leeks/onion weed, washed, cleaned (if you can’t find wild onions you can easily substitute with spring onions) 500g butter, room temperature

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Blanch the onions in boiling water for 20 seconds before draining and submerging in ice water. Wring the onions dry in a tea towel, roughly chop them and place in a food processor with the butter and garlic. Blend until smooth.

SPRING VEGETABLE RAGÙ

I’ve used a mixture of radishes, snow peas, green beans and sugar snap peas, spinach and carrots, but fresh peas and broad beans are fantastic when they’re available, as are young turnips or leafy greens. Just be aware of the different cooking times for each, so that they are cooked to your liking.

wild onion butter (see recipe) baby carrots green beans snow peas sugar snap peas radishes, cut in wedges if large spinach parsley, chervil & chives, chopped juice and zest of ½ lemon

Bring 50ml of water to the boil, add 250g of the wild onion butter one tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly until each addition has fully emulsified. Keep the pan on a gentle heat and don’t let the sauce boil.

Starting with the carrots, gently simmer in the butter sauce for 5 minutes then add the green beans, snow peas and sugar snaps. After another minute add the radishes and spinachy and take off the heat. Keep swirling the pan to keep everything emulsified; you should have crisp, al dente vegetables swimming in a smooth buttery sauce. Once cooked to your liking, finish with chopped parsley, chervil and chives, the lemon juice and zest and season to taste.

ANCHOVY CREAM

100g brown anchovies 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 100ml extra virgin olive oil 150g crème fraîche

Put the anchovies, sliced garlic and olive oil into a small pot and cook gently on a very low heat until the anchovies start to fall apart and the garlic is soft (about 10 minutes on a gentle heat). Transfer to a food processor and blend until smooth. Once smooth add the crème fraîche and blend again until you have a smooth cream.

To serve, place the warm vegetable ragù onto plates with a few extra spoonfuls of butter sauce, lay slices of the roast beef on top and a generous spoonful of anchovy cream on the side.