Sunday Roast Beef, Peas with Pancetta and Yorkshire Pudding

Sunday family dinner is a big tradition in my family.  This meal reminds me of Sunday dinners with my grandfather.  He loved to make Yorkshire pudding.  I am not sure if this is a regional thing but where I live, we only call it Yorkshire pudding when it is made in a large pan. When you make them in individual tins we call them pop-overs.  You don't need a fancy pan to do this, a regular 12 well muffin pan will work just fine.  Year ago when I worked in a kitchen, the chef always used the rendered beef fat but olive oil works just as well.

Ingredients

Eye round roast (you should figure about 1/2 lb per person)

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2-3 sprigs of rosemary, leaves removed from the stem and finely chopped

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

2 cups of beef broth

Cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375.  Mix garlic, rosemary and about 1/2 tsp of kosher salt in a bowl and add olive oil to form a paste.  Spread the paste over the top of the beef and then season generously with kosher salt and pepper.  Roast the meat for 15-20 minutes per pound of beef until the internal temperature reads 125.  Remove the meat from the pan and allow the meat to rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing.  Add the beef broth to the pan and return it to the oven for 5 minutes.  Take the pan back out of the oven and mix about 1 tbsp of cornstarch that has been mixed with water until the cornstarch has dissolved.  Stir the corn starch mixture into the hot broth and return to the oven for 5 more minutes until the gravy has thickened.

Ingredients
3 oz of thinly sliced pancetta, diced
10 oz package of frozen peas
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 cup of chicken broth
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and add the pancetta, breaking up and stirring until the meat is crispy.  Take care not to burn the pancetta, it can burn very quickly.  Remove the pancetta to a paper towel to drain and pour off al but 1 tbsp of fat from the pan.  Add in the shallots and stir for 1 minute.  Add in the garlic and stir for 1 minute more.  Add frozen peas and chicken broth to the pan and bring the broth to a boil, breaking up the peas of necessary.  Cover the peas and reduce to a simmer for about 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Ingredients

1 cup of milk, room temperature

1 egg, room temperature

1 cup of flour

1/2 tsp of kosher salt

Olive oil or rendered beef fat

Turn the heat on the oven up to 425.  Pour a small amount of olive oil into the bottom of each if the wells of a non-stick muffin pan fully covering the bottom.  Place the muffing tins into the oven for 5 minutes to heat the oil.  Into a blender, add the milk, egg, flour and salt.  Blend until the mixture is smooth.  Remove the muffing pan from the oven and fill each well about halfway with the mixture.  Immediate put back into the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes until puffed and golden.  DO NOT open the oven until at least 20 minutes has passed as the pop-pvers may fall.  Serve hot.