But, callous atheist that I am, a family Sunday has more than a bit of the sacrosanct about it. And today was a good example. An early start, due to an away hockey match at Richmond, meant that from 11, the rest of the day was clear.
Of course a lot of that time is spent on tasks that have a low thrill potential. Waitrose is hardly a go to destination,even with the draw of a £5 voucher (which I suspect I more than over-compensate for). And helping with homework has the capacity for unpleasantness which can barely be imagined. Today it was literacy circle for one and calculating perpendicular lines in trig for the other. But luckily we seemed to get through both with barely a stomp of a foot or a raising of the voice.
Which then allowed us to focus on more interesting stuff. For me, a chance to test out my preserving thermometer on some rather fine Seville oranges.
And with M helping me, the tedious job of slicing orange rind was halved. I suspect that what we had created was what can only be described as super-thick cut and there was a lot of taking the pith; but hey it was a joint effort. And even she was a bit agog at the amount of sugar that goes in. I have to admit that I tried to keep her away from the boiling bit. Molten sugar on a fast boil has the potential to be a really really grisly murder method. Has it ever featured on CSI? It should. And even the ladling out was not without it's moments. But here we are with 8 jars of bejewelled orange iridescence. Has the thermometer made it any better? Well it seemed to, but we won't know until the toast comes calling.
And as the seemingly endless stream of washing churned its way from machine to line (heavy rain showers permitting), there was also time to try roasting a lamb shoulder with moroccan spices. Lots of cumin, coriander, cinnamon, garlic, smoked paprika and chilli. And once J had applied some blunt trauma to the gravy, with couscous (and potatoes roasted in goose fat for E) it tasted pretty fine.
Followed by plum crumble with an almond topping inspired by the Nigel Slater Kitchen Diaries, all in all it made for an almost perfect Sunday supper. But actually the part of it that really made the difference was playing cards. Midweek, there seems to be barely any time for anything more than the essentials. But on Sunday we have the opportunity (if we take it) to do something all together. In this case it was knock out whist. While I was on dog's chance in the time it takes to woof, with the other three it was nip and tuck all the way down. There were jokes, some very, very poor poker faces and a lot of fun.
So this post is not really about Fireside Feasts, it's about family feasts. And deep down, it's not about what we eat, its about how we eat - and communicate.
Finally, if there are any American readers out there - we're planning an RV trip in the summer from Denver to LA, through the parks. What should we cook and take with us in the food line? Any help gratefully received.
Enjoyable.... Jx
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