half of a 1/2-inch thick center slice of cooked, smoked ham
5-1/2 to 6 pound rump roast
2 large onions, thinly sliced
juice of 3 limes
2 teaspoons oregano
black pepper
3 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons oil or 1 tablespoon lard
1/2 cup dry white wine
juice of 3 or 4 oranges
1 tablespoon salt
Cut ham into 1-inch squares. With a small, pointed knife, cut holes 2 to 3 inches deep around the surface of the beef roast. Cut the same number of holes as you have ham squares and push one ham square all the way into each hole.
Lay half the slices from one onion along the bottom of a large glass bowl.
Make a marinade with the lime juice, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 2 crumbled bay leaves, an 1 clove garlic, chopped. Mix well.
Put rump roast in glass bowl on top of onions. Pour marinade over roast. Lay remaining slices from the first onion on top of the roast. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 48 hours. Turn meat twice each day, basting with marinade, and rearranging onion slices.
When marination is finished, remove roast from bowl (discard marinade) and dry well with paper toweling.
Brown roast on all sides in hot oil or lard in a large pot. Remove roast from pot and reserve.
Put remaining onion slices and garlic (roughly mashed but still in one piece) into pot. Saute them until onion slices are translucent. Remove garlic and discard.
Return roast to pot. Then add white wine, half the orange juice, salt, pepper to taste, remaining oregano, and bay leaf, crumbled.
Simmer roast over low heat, covered, for 3 hours or until meat is tender. Turn the roast occasionally during cooking and baste at the same time. Also, at half-hour intervals, pour small amounts of reserved orange juice over meat until all juice is used up.
To serve:
Slice roast in fairly thick pieces. Strain the cooking liquid and pour over slices. The roast is normally accompanied with black beans, rice, and fried green plantains.
Yields 6 to 8 servings.