Sexy Thomas Cromwell - Sunday Roast (On A Friday) With Yorkshire Pudding

Been waiting decades for a sexy Thomas Cromwell to come along. I fell in love with the Tudors as a kid watching BBC's tremendous Six Wives and Elizabeth R miniseries. I loved the macabre and the whole Anne Reine sans tete hook plunged deeply. Plus, my Mom was a big Kingston Trio fan and she used to sing With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm, which I adored.

The Six:

Divorced, beheaded, died
Divorced, beheaded, survived

(Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, Katherine Parr)

At latest count, I have read and/or own some 60 books about the Tudors and Stuarts.

That series The Tudors? God awful but I was pulling for it because someone was interested enough to produce it even if they tarted it up to Whore of Babylon levels. Historical accuracy and ratings are not mutually inclusive.

Hillary Mantel's Wolf Hall series became my Harry Potter. I would stand in front of a Barnes and Noble at 11 pm the night before her third book comes out if that was still how we bought books in America.

Anne B. Lost her head.

The Royal Shakespeare Company has produced an adaptation of Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies. The time period takes us from Thomas Cromwell's youth to the downfall of Anne Boleyn. Cromwell is a fascinating character. He became Henry VIII's advisor after Thomas Wolsey failed to deliver Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon so he could marry Anne.

Anne of Cleves by Hans Holbein,
kept her head and outlived Henry.

He managed to keep his head after Anne's downfall until 1540 when he engineered Henry's fourth marriage to shore up the Protestant alliance in Europe against the Catholic powers. Henry was smitten with Anne of Cleves based on a portrait painted by the great Hans Holbein the Younger. 

SCHWING!!!!!

Things went wrong when the couple finally met, which unfortunately was AFTER the marriage treaty was finalized. It is hard from a modern perspective to understand. Her portrait hangs in the Louvre and appears to depict, if not a great beauty, at least a pleasing looking woman. Most historians agree that Anne was horrified when she finally saw her obese, aged groom and didn't have the courtly social skills to hide her reaction.

He has been portrayed on the screen by a variety of fine villain character actors. In the RSC production, he is played by Ben Miles.

So, in honor of this news, we present Sunday Roast with Yorkshire Pudding. And speaking of sexy, I'm going with a recipe from Nigella Lawson, from the original Nigella Bites show, although I have made some modifications. I added grilled asparagus with lemon thyme dressing because it just felt right to have a veggie in addition to salad.

Mangia!

Girlfriend doesn't deny herself. Nothing sexier than a gal
who loves to eat with gusto.

Sunday Roast with Yorkshire Pudding, Grilled Asparagus and Pea, Mint and Avocado Salad

Recipe courtesy Nigella Lawson

For the Roast Beef:*

5 pounds beef roast (I went with a 3 pound version. I bought a boneless ribeye roast, but you could go with a more economical cut like sirloin, eye of round or chuck. Talk to the butcher at your grocery store. They'll appreciate it!)

4 tablespoons olive oil

Ready for the oven

5 sprigs rosemary leaves, chopped (scaled down to three with smaller roast)
Salt and pepper (surprisingly, Nigella leaves this step out. As Emeril Lagasse used to say, I don't know where you buy your meat, but mine doesn't come seasoned)

For the Grilled Asparagus

1 lb. thin asparagus, ends broken off where they break easily
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon chopped thyme leaves
Juice of 2 lemons
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil (you could use more. I like acid in my dressings to be dominant)
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Yorkshire Pudding (12 puddings):

1 1/4 cups milk

4 eggs

Scant 1/2 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 tablespoon beef drippings or vegetable oil

For the Pea, Mint, and Avocado Salad:

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more, if needed (Nigella called for 9. NINE. Yikes)

4 tablespoons good white wine vinegar (I upped her recipe from 1 1/2 tablespoons, because vinegar!)

Fat pinch superfine sugar
Pinch of salt and good amount of pepper

2 bunches mint leaves, chopped one, leave the other in whole leaves

1 pound shelled peas (about 3 1/2 pounds unshelled)

1 package (10 ounces) mixed salad greens

2 heads Belgian endive, separated into leaves (the store was out this morning. I went with a head of radicchio)

3 ripe avocados, cut into bite-size chunks

Directions

 To make the beef roast, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Place the beef roast on a clean work surface and rub with the olive oil and chopped rosemary. Transfer to roasting pan.

 Place into the preheated oven and cook for 15 minutes and then turn the heat down to 350 degrees F. Cook for about 15 minutes per pound for rare meat, about 1 hour and 15 minutes (another 40 or 45 minutes for a 3 pounder). Remove from the oven and let rest, covered, for about 15 minutes before slicing.

To make the asparagus: heat a stove top grill pan or a regular grill to very hot. If using an outdoor grill, you may want to use a grill top basket of some type to prevent thin stalks from falling through, or just be careful to keep the spears perpendicular to the grates when you turn them. Put the asparagus in a single layer in the pan and turn them a few times until brown char marks appear. They won't need more than a few minutes; you want them toothsome. Make the dressing by combining garlic, thyme leaves, oil and lemon juice. Put them on a platter and pour dressing over them.

To make the pea, mint and avocado salad, first make the dressing: put the oil, vinegar, and sugar into a large bowl and then put in the chopped mint. Stir well so all is amalgamated. Cook the peas for 2 minutes or so in salted boiling water, just so that they're ready, but not soft. Taste after 2 minutes and keep tasting. Drain the peas in a colander, put them straightaway into the bowl of dressing, and let steep for 1 hour or up to a day. Just before serving, stir in the mixed greens, whole leaf mint, the endive, and the avocado. You may need to drizzle a bit more oil after tossing. Serve this on a big plate. Sprinkle with some more of the chopped mint.

To make the Yorkshire Pudding, preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Mix the milk, eggs, and salt, and add pepper, beating all well together. I use my freestanding mixer but a hand-held electric mixer, rotary, or balloon whisk would do. Let these ingredient stand for 15 minutes and then whisk in the flour. Meanwhile, add the drippings to a heat-proof muffin pan and put it in the oven to heat for about 10 minutes. Into this intensely hot pan you should pour in the batter and cook for 20 minutes, or until well puffed and golden. Bring it, triumphant, to the table.

Triumphant!

Eat large portions and collapse in a beef coma for the rest of the afternoon and evening and thank

heaven for Nigella Lawson.

*According to David at the office, the best sandwich recipe is simple.  Roast sirloin or eye of round sliced thin and piled about 1 inch high between two slices of bread.  He highly recommends it. That's not a sandwich; that's a magnum opus on bread.

Fun little video about The Six: