The sad fact is I don't make traditional Sunday roast dinners. I suppose that's not exactly sad in and of it's self, you know, I mean who cares? BUT it's the reason I don't cook or eat them which is sort of sad.
The scent of a Sunday roast makes me anxious. Anxious because, as a child, the wafts of steamed veggies in the pressure cooker, meat roasting and yorkshire puds billowing their flouriness meant Sunday, and what followed Sunday? Well Monday of course. And Monday meant school. So the smell of a Sunday roast, for me is synonymous with being slightly worried about having to go to school the next day.
This was not, by the way anything to do with my reasons for home educating. Just one of those, you know, side things about me. I said to The Man when we moved in together and had babies, look just don't ever expect a Sunday roast. On Sunday. Maybe I'll surprise you with one on say a Tuesday, but that's unlikely too. I am more of a kale, lentils and bacon girl. Anyway. We were doing some clearing at the veg garden this morning, and what with the extra hour granted to us today with the clock wizardry I had more time to speculate over what I fancied for lunch. From my garden (minus the red lentils) I give you today's Sunday lunch.
It was surprisingly delicious and that's why I have to share it here. The first of many. I hope. Since my new master plan (as of about four seconds ago) is to blog each Sunday about my alternative Sunday Lunch. It might get dull, and be leftovers, but I guess you don't have to know that - just kidding, I'll say so. I shall see how far it takes me and how far I can go with it. That is I am hoping it gives me more of an ommph to use what I have in my cupboards, veg basket and garden creatively.
I might do a sidebar link for anyone who wants to join me (please do!) for inspiration and variants and new takes on the British Sunday Roast. Or jut total abandonment of in favour of something else.
One Sunday
one chopped red onion
one bunch of beetroot leaves and stems, chopped
one bunch of kale, chopped with the thick stems removed if you fancy
red lentils, a good handful
~ add all of the above except the lentils to a big pan with some oil. Add a sprinkle of tamari and a sprinkle of worcester sauce. After a few minutes add the lentils and big dash of water, enough so that the lentils can cook, but not so much that it's swimming. Add about 3 cloves of minced garlic and stir everything. Put a lid on and over the course of the next ten minutes keep checking stirring and adding tiny bits of water if it needs it.
Scoop onto your plate, adjust seasoning and add a dab of cheese (I know, I know this warrants a whole other post, but this week is the first in two yrs where I have been adding some raw cheese back in to my diet, just to see). Roquefort seem fabulous, it is soft and salty and melts a tiny bit. I made this just for me, so increase quantities of you have kids who actually really yum up greens and garden produce other than just fruit.
3 comments:
This is so funny, when I was a child, the Sunday routine was for my parents to go to the village and buy the Sunday papers which came with all the rubbish magazines etc etc and they would sit around for most of the day, reading them, which I thought was a terrible waste of the last day of the weekend. Sunday papers still make me feel irritated to this day. The evening ritual was similar to your description. The Sunday roast would be wafting round the house, the fire would be lit, my brother and I would have our bath (I swear that was the only day of the week we were washed, though my mother refuses to believe it!) and Songs of Praise would be on the telly, followed by Last of the Summer Wine! It's amazing how those innocent ingredients of a Sunday routine stay with you and get associated with the gloominess of the day that followed. I can remember spoiling quite a few Sunday roasts by crying and begging not to be taken to school the next day, but I think I'm over it now and I can enjoy a Sunday roast again. I think it helps that DH doesn't have regular hours and works most Sundays, so they feel like any other day usually. Your Sunday dinner looks very tasty though, I have promised myself that when the children are older, I will go on a cookery course and become more creative with cooking vegetables! Your photos look delicious! xxxx
will look forward to see your sunday lunches, we nearly always have something not typically sunay lunchish and its sad but makes me smile everytime, like I'm sticking two fingers up at the sunday roast ceremony, if I remember to take pictures before we stuff it down I may share some too x
Your sunday lunch looks delicious!!
I don't like traditional sunday roasts. I find them really bland and not worth the time, effort and electricity/gas they take to cook, or the washing up afterwards! I'd much rather make a lentil and veg dish in one pan!!
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