Sunday roast beef

In my opinion, Sundays are an unofficial family eating day. It’s relaxed, easy going and a whole day affair of cooking… and eating. Meals that take a lot more time, effort and care are usually saved for Sunday’s. Each family has their own ‘traditions’ or Sunday ‘routines’ they follow.

One family I know cook and prepare huge amounts of curry, pastas, salad, vegetables and rice, so when family and friends pass by and visit, they can help themselves to a lavish spread of food. Other families set aside a roast the day before or early Sunday morning and oven roast it or braai (barbeque) it later on Sunday afternoon. When most of my family lived in South Africa, we'd always share a Sunday meal together either at a restuarant or at home. Nowadays my mom, dad and I sit down and discuss our Sunday meal either on a Friday night or early Saturday morning. We chip in our ideas; share the cravings we’ve had during the week and come to a mutual agreement of what is going to be made.

I get very excited and always look forward to every meal we have at home, especially on Sundays. So here is a roast beef out of my humble home kitchen. This particular beef was roasted with plump whole onions and button mushrooms in the same pan; so the flavours and juices could soak in to more of what we were eating. It was accompanied with boiled green beans and bright orange carrots and some juicy rich gravy.      

Sunday roast beef

Ingredients:

1 ½ kg Beef roast

2 cups red wine

1 ½ cups Coke-a-Cola

½ cup hickory basting sauce

¼ cup Mrs Balls hot chutney

¼ cup tomato sauce

2 Tbsp Soy sauce

1 ½ Tbsp Worster sauce

½ tsp Colmans hot English mustard

2 tsp Aromat (or salt and pepper)

1 Tbsp Italian herbs

1 Tbsp Origanum

2 tsp Steak and chops spice

5 Bay leaves

1 Onion (roughly chopped)

3 Tbsp Olive oil

Instructions:

Marinade:

Mix together the red wine, Coke-a-Cola, hickory basting sauce, chutney, tomato sauce, soy sauce, Worster sauce, English mustard, Aromat (or salt and pepper), Italian herbs, origanum, steak and chops spice, bay leaves and roughly chopped onion. Pour over meat and leave to marinade overnight.

Roasting:

Lock in the flavour, juices and add some colour to your roast beef by sealing all sides in a frying pan. Place the beef in a roasting pan with about ¼ of the marinade sauce. Put your roast beef in a preheated oven of 180 degrees.  Cook half an hour for every 500g or if you like your meat well done cook for about 45 minutes to hour. Serve with your choice of vegetables and roast potatoes.

Serves 4 -5