Rib of beef is one of my favourite roast’s and whilst out shopping at our local Waitrose Supermarket, they had this rib of Veal on offer so we thought we would have it as our Easter dinner. My gosh we were not disapointed and I thought it was much more moist than aged beef and has a wonderful delicate flavour. As veal is only around 6 month’s old when it is slaughtered, it tends to be frowned upon as previous farming methods kept the animals in small wooden crates. Fortunately those day’s are now long gone in the UK and nowadays, Veal is making is making a welcome return. This was one of the best roast’s I have had for sometime, as you get a hint of the sweet roasted garlic and fragrant marjoram in the actual meat itself. As I didnt want to waste any we decided to forego potatoes and have another of my favourites, honey roasted carrots and of course being British good old Yorkshire Pudding. Paulie has totally nailed all elements of the roast, I am one lucky wife!

Ingredients and Method for all elements

For the Veal

• 2 Rib of Veal or Beef – 1kg Approx
• Handful of Marjoram
• 3 Garlic Cloves
• Drizzle of Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper

Method for Veal

1. Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees centigrade
2. Season the veal with Salt and Pepper
3. A rib will normally have string tied round it, if this is the case pick 10 strands of Marjoram and put under the string. if your joint does not have string just lay the Marjoram on top.
4. Chop the garlic cloves into thin slices and then sprinkle over the joint
5. Place joint in the oven and cook uncovered for 30 minutes
6. After 3o minutes, cover with foil and then put back into the oven for the remainder of the cooking time. We dont like our Veal too pink so we cooked the joint for 1 hour and 20 minutes in total and then allowed it to rest on a board covered in foil for an additional 15 minutes.

For the Carrots

• 4 small carrots
• 2 parsnips
• 2 tbsp of Runny Honey
• 1 tbsp of White Wine Vinegar
• 1 tbsp of Oil

Method for Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnips

1. Put an oven proof dish in the oven with 1 tbsp of oil
2. Peel the carrots and chop into inch long pieces
3. Place carrots into a pan of boiling water and cook for 5 minutes
4. Peel and chop parsnips and then after the carrots have cooked for 5 minutes, add to the parsnips and cook all together for a further 2 minutes.
5. Next strain the vegetables and then add to the hot oven proof dish – be careful as the oil will be very hot!
6. Turn the vegetables over in the oil and then cook in the oven uncovered for 30 minutes
7. Remove carefully from the oven and then drizzle over the honey and the white wine vinegar, then put back into the oven for a further 20 mintes

For the Yorkshire Pudding

• 70g of plain flour
• 1 Egg
• 75ml of Milk
• 55 ml of cold water
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 tbsp Oil

Method for Yorkshire Pudding

1. Pour the oil into a small oven proof dish and put into a hot oven
2. Measure all of the ingredients into a bowl and mix together to form a smooth paste.
3. Everyone makes their Yorkshire Pudding in a different way and there is much advice in cook books about how long the mixture should stand after it is mixed etc. I have cooked this mixture immediately after making it or left it on the side to stand for up to an hour and in my opinion it makes no difference!
4. Remove the dish from the oven, again being careful as it will be hot. Pour in the mixture and put back into the oven for around 40 minutes. It needs to be brown and crispy on top.

For the Gravy

• 200ml of red wine
• 400ml of Beef stock
• 2 tsp of Cornflour

Method for Gravy

1. In a small saucepan heat the red wine gently until it bubbles. Cook for about 5 minutes
2. Add the beef stock and turn up the heat so the mixture boils and reduce by half
3. Mix the cornflour with cold water and blend to a paste
4. Add bit by bit to the gravy stirring all the time. You might not need to add it all or if you like your gravy thick then you might want to add more.

Putting it all together

1. Put some plates in the oven to warm 5 minutes before serving
2. Place the carrots and parsnips into small individual serving bowls if you have them.
3. Add 2 tablespoons of hot water to the dish and mix with the residue of the honey and then pour this over the carrots – serving them on their own in a bowl means that the honey juices dont mix with the gravy!
4. Next cut the Yorkshire Pudding into pieces and put on the plate
5. Carve the Veal into thin slices and add to the plate.
6. Pour over the gravy and serve.