Q. What do I do with a Rump Roast? A. Roast Beef with Spicy Parsley Tomato Sauce

Believe it or not we’re actually make very good progress on the steer.  In the Berkshires, we only have a few packages of meat left — a brisket, some ground beef, and a rump roast!  We still have some flank steak, London broil, ground beef, and another roast in our New York City freezer.

Last night, I decided to make the rump roast but first I needed to find out what a rump roast is and how one prepares it.   A rump roast comes from the bottom round, or the fleshy hindquarters of the animal.  Although I always thought prime rib and roast beef were synonymous, prime rib is really from a standing rib roast and most roast beef is prepared from a rump roast, round roast, or sirloin tip.

I found this Giada de Laurentiis recipe that called for a sirloin tip or chuck roast.  My research on the rump indicated the rump roast would be a fine substitute.  My roast was a bit bigger than Giada’s — about 3.25 lbs — so I ended up cooking it for about 80-90 minutes, which rendered the roast mostly medium rare (for Tim) with spots of medium (for me).  Just be sure to have a meat thermometer on hand so that you can cook it to your desired done-ness.

The meat was very flavorful and the sauce from the roasted tomatoes, parsley, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and red pepper flakes was a tasty and unique accompaniment.  I served the roast with slices of polenta I warmed in a frying pan and Broccolini with Balsamic Vinaigrette.  A delicious Saturday night meal!

Roast Beef with Spicy Parsley Tomato Sauce
Giada de Laurentiis

Roast Beef:

• 1 (2 to 2 1/2-pound) sirloin tip or chuck beef roast
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 Roma tomatoes, cut in 1/2
• 2 teaspoons herbs de Provence
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Spicy Parsley Tomato Sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

To make the beef roast, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Season the beef with salt and pepper. Season the tomatoes with salt, pepper, and herbs de Provence.

Place a medium, heavy roasting pan or Dutch oven over high heat. Heat the olive oil. Sear the beef over high heat on all sides. Turn off heat. Place the seasoned tomatoes around the seared beef and place the pan in the oven.

Roast until a meat thermometer reads 130 degrees F. for medium rare, 135 for medium, about 30 to 40 minutes. Take the roast out of the oven, tent loosely with foil, and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. The internal temperature of the meat should rise 5 degrees F more and the juices will redistribute into the roast.

To make the sauce, place the parsley and garlic in a food processor and pulse until the parsley is finely chopped. Add the red pepper flakes, salt, red wine vinegar and the roasted tomatoes from the beef pan and process until pureed. Add the olive oil in a steady stream with the machine running.

To serve, slice the roast and place on a serving platter. Drizzle a little sauce over the meat. Serve the remaining sauce in a small bowl alongside.