A tender beef rump roast slow cooked with fried cucumbers in an onion gravy sauce is a recipe like none other. I have made several beef roasts in my day but have never heard of or even thought to add cucumbers to the recipe. While going through my Williamsburg Art of Cookery Cookbook, I picked up in historic Williamsburg, Virginia, I found this interesting recipe. I was first looking for recipes that included the fruits and vegetables that I grow here on the homestead. Unfortunately, there aren’t many in this book that entails cucumbers except for this one, and it was so interesting I had to try it.
Now the original recipe calls for mutton. For those of you that don’t know, mutton is sheep. It’s 2017 and mutton isn’t readily available at my grocery or a whole lot of farms in the area. So I ended up slow cooking a tender and seasoned beef rump roast instead. And I think it worked out perfectly.
And really how cool is it that this recipe is from the 18th Century, actually 1742. This recipe is 275 years old, and I want to keep it alive in this post. We loved it and will be making this recipe often for family and friends.
To Fry Cucumbers for Mutton Sauce
You must brown some Butter in a Pan and cut the Cucumbers in thin Slices; drain them from the Water, then sling them into the Pan, and when they are fried brown, put in a little Pepper and Salt, a Bit of an Onion and Gravy, and le them stew together, and squeeze in some Juice of Lemon; shake them well, and put them under your Mutton.
(Recipe from the Williamsburg Art of Cookery Cookbook; E. Smith’s Complete Housewife, 1742)
Cost of this recipe.
As an expensive entree, the main portion made up of a large beef rump roast. Along with the stewed cucumbers and seasonings, I have calculated this recipe for about $27.20. The roast is large and makes a lot. I can usually get about eight servings out of this meal which costs about $3.40 per serving. This, of course, does not include any other side dishes.
We would love to hear from you, so comment and rate the recipe down below. Also, check out some of our other vintage recipe posts.
Cream Stewed Squash
Vintage side dish recipe of slow stewed cut summer squash in heavy cream.
This recipe adapted from The Williamsburg Art of Cookery Cookbook. All images and text are all my own and original to One Acre Vintage Homestead – Pumpkin Patch Mountain Homestead.
Combine all the seasonings together in a small bowl. Press seasoning mixture all over rump roast.
Over medium-high heat, sear all sides of the seasoned rump roast. Then place in a large slow cooker with beef stock. Cook over low heat for 6-8 hours.
Fried Cucumbers
Slice cucumbers thinly, about ¼ inch thick. In a large skillet, toss cucumber in with 2 tbsp. of butter. Sauté cucumbers until brown. Flip and toss cucumber around to evenly cook.
While cucumbers are browning, make gravy in a small saucepan. Sauté 2 tbsp. butter with chopped onion. Add flour and cook on low heat for 1 minute. Add ½ cup beef stock from slow cooker. Cook on low for 5 minutes until gravy thickens.
After gravy thickens, pour into pan with cucumbers and let simmer for 5 minutes. Squeeze in lemon juice over cucumbers and serve under sliced slow cooked beef rump roast.
