Rare Treat: Sunday, Bloody Sunday

The best Sunday lunch you could have. This, for me, was quintessentially England: sitting in the pub, reading the papers, Bloody Mary in hand and awesome tunes in the background while waiting for your lunch to cook. Andrew Cameron’s (Africola’s Bar Manager) Bloody Mary recipe to match is legit and Nikki Friedli’s (Africola’s Restaurant Manager) music choice sets the tone. Nikki Friedli’s soundtrack: The Who – Who’s Next Predictable and comforting after a Saturday night of morally questionable actions, which you are going to spend the next 12 miserable hours justifying to yourself and society. Not unlike Peter Townshend, really. Three cheers for England.

Sunday lunch

Ingredients

1 whole rib beef, on the bone 2 teaspoons of Murray River salt Freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons (30 mL) olive oil (doesn’t need to be fancy) 300g plain flour 4 eggs (buy the ones from a farmers’ market), beaten 300ml full-fat milk 4 tablespoons (60mL) vegetable oil (or beef drippings), for cooking 3 to 4 sprigs thyme 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled 2 red onions, peeled and sliced 1 tin of plum tomatoes (it’s not cheating, it’s just better) 350mL red wine Quarter-litre beef stock

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C. Season the beef with salt and pepper; sear in a hot roasting pan with the olive oil to brown on all sides (three to four minutes each side). Transfer to oven, roast for 20 minutes. Simple. If you mess this up, close this magazine and think about your life. 2. Make the Yorkshire pudding batter: sift the flour and half-a-teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Add the eggs and half the milk; beat until smooth. Mix in remaining milk; let batter rest. I give my batter 24 hours rest for better results, also it shows you almost care about Sunday lunch. You should… it’s the best. 3. When the beef is cooked, transfer it to a warm plate; let it rest, lightly cover with foil and keep in a warm place while you cook the puddings and make the gravy. Raise oven to 230°C. Put one teaspoon (5mL) vegetable oil – or hot from the roasting pan – into each section of a 12-hole Yorkshire pudding tray (or a muffin tray). Put it in the oven on the top shelf until very hot, almost smoking. I’ve seen many apprentices burn themselves for whipping the flaming hot tray out too fast with the oil inside. Don’t be that guy. It sucks. Kind of funny though. 4. Meanwhile, whisk the pudding batter again. As soon as you take the tray from the oven, ladle in the batter so each cup is three-quarters full (it should sizzle); immediately put tray back in oven. Bake for 12 to 20 minutes until the Yorkshire puddings are well-risen, golden brown and crisp. Don’t open the oven door until the end or they might collapse. Seriously, quell the urge: have a beer, make out with your partner or watch Funny Cat Videos Vol 5 on YouTube. 5. To make the gravy, pour off the excess fat from the roasting pan, place pan over medium heat, and add thyme, garlic, onions and tomatoes. Cook for four to five minutes, pour in the wine and bring to a simmer. Squash the tomatoes with a potato masher to help thicken sauce. Pour in the stock; simmer until reduced by half (about 10 minutes). Pass gravy through a sieve, pressing vegetables to extract flavor. Bring gravy back to boil; reduce to a gravy consistency. Check the seasoning.
So important to keep tasting the gravy at this stage; don’t assume it’s going to be fine because the guy writing the recipe is a chef. 6. Carve the beef thinly. Serve with the gravy, Yorkshire puddings and Bloody Mary. Cank the music up. Sit back and survey the table topography, give yourself a pat on the back, loosen a few notches on the belt and get stuck in. I like to finish this meal face down on the couch.

Andrew Cameron’s Bloody Mary

The two most important things to get right when making a Bloody Mary is your use of spice and salt. Everyone has their own comfort levels for heat, so the perfect recipe is always the one you enjoy the most. I enjoy a good amount of heat, but to pair with Duncan’s rib recipe it is best to shoot for something a bit more rich, rounded and smoky. I’ve infused a bottle of unfiltered vodka from Denmark (Den Klodsede Bjørn) with two-and-a-half finely sliced ancho chillies for two days at room temperature (taste after a day to check). I’ve used unfiltered vodka as it gives a little bit more texture to the drink but feel free to use your favourite vodka. Add 10mL of Worcestershire sauce to the base of a tall glass, followed by three dashes of chipotle sauce and two dashes of celery bitters. Add 60mL of your infused vodka and top with V8 tomato juice until it tastes how you like it. Add ice and sprinkle some smoked salt on top. Skewer a garnish of your favourite pickled vegetables. Add a straw and imbibe away! africola.com.au @GastroPunkOz   Photos: Jonathan van der Knaap