Rump it up!

There are a few things greater than a tender rump cooked to perfection. This one was a winner to say the least, as it incorporated summer flavors -juicy enough to tantalize your taste buds.

Its Summer here in South Africa and my kitchen is heated with a variance of fresh ingredients. I love nothing more than finding knobbly vegetables and colorful fruits to create a pallet of color.My kitchen is my canvas and as I inspire myself I hope to inspire you.

 Paprika and rosemary Roast Rump, with crushed Anja Potatoes, Pear and micro-cress salad

Prep time: 15min   Cook Time: 30-40 min  Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 500g rump, mature, thick cut
• olive oil
• fresh rosemary (few sprigs)
• Sweet Pimenton (paprika)
• Baby Spinach, cress and rocket selection
• 1 conference pear
• handful sweet tomatoes, Rosa 
• 1 lime
• Baby Anja potatoes
• seasoning

Method:

Oil the rump well, season with salt, pepper and paprika. Sprinkle a few sprigs of rosemary. Allow to stand.

In a grill pan or frying pan, heat the oil. Add the rump and allow to cook for 5 min on each side. If you prefer your meat more well done, leave it up to between 7-10min on either side. Remove from the heat and allow to rest. Place on a baking tray before putting in the oven.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Bring a pan of water to the boil and add the potatoes. It should take roughly 10min to cook. Remove the potatoes from the heat, drain in a colander and add them back to the pan and back on the heat. Drizzle over some olive oil, before crushing them with with a fork.

On the same baking tray as the rump, toss over the crushed potatoes and season. Place in the oven for 30min until rump is tender and potatoes are crispy.

For your salad, wash and clean all ingredients. Add the baby spinach, cress and rocket to a salad bowl. Roughly chop the tomatoes and add to bowl. Core and slice the pear, before adding to the bowl. Drizzle over a decent amount of olive oil along with the zest of one lime. Toss through your salad before adding salt and pepper. 

Remove the rump and potatoes from the oven and serve.


Enjoy x x

Truff Luck

Christmas is around the corner, as I am sure you are well aware, and it can get expensive as you know. So, this year I am making it a little more personal and given edible gifts to family and friends. Truffles are on my hit list, because these little sweetmeat morsels go along way, believe it or not. 

Dark Chocolate Truffles

Prep time: 2h15min  Yield: 30-40 truffles

Ingredients:

• 225g dark chocolate (72%)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp ameretto
• 1 tsp vanilla essense
• cocoa powder

Method:

In a heavy based sauce pan, bring the cream to a simmer, ensuring not to burn. Add the amaretto and stir through. Add the chocolate and stir vigorously so that all the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth and creamy. Remove from the heat and allow to stand, before placing in the refrigerator for 2hrs.

Remove from the fridge, with a teaspoon roll out balls of the ganache. Roll in your hands quickly to make neater balls before coating in cocoa powder. 

Place on a tray, before gifting.

Enjoy x x 

Carrot and Walnut Boule Bread

Carrot and Walnut Boule

Prep time: 15min  Cook time: 1hr  

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of wholewheat flour
• 1/2 tsp bicarb
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1.5 cups grated carrots
• 2 tbsp orange zest
• 1 cup walnuts
• 1.5 cups buttermilk
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 egg

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, add the flour, bicarb, ginger and cinnamon and stir through. Add the grated carrots and mix through.Chop the walnuts and add to the bowl along with the orange zest. 

In another mixing bowl, add the buttermilk, olive oil and honey. Stir through til a smooth batter. Add these ingredients to the dry ingredients. Add the egg and combine.

On a low speed with an electric mixer, with the dough attachment mix the dough until stiff, and pliable.

Sprinkle your surface counter with wholewheat flour. Take out the dough and knead onto your surface area, making sure that the bread is less sticky. Add more flour if need be.

Place on baking tray and bake for 1hr.

Enjoy x x