Monday, October 09, 2006

A Perfect Sunday


Sunday is the most miserable day of the week for most. A constant reminder that Monday is fast approaching - back to work and no more lie-ins. The only way to get over it is to prolong the weekend with some lovely food, lots of drink and a good film.

Yesterday I made bruschetta with tomatoes and garlic, roast beef, roast potatoes and a rocket salad with red onions and pine nuts.

Bruschetta con pomodoro

For the bruschetta topping, I chopped some fresh tomatoes out of my Mum's garden, garlic, olive oil, basil, salt and pepper. It'll probably be the last time I'll be using fresh tomatoes until next summer even though they'll be selling them all year round in the supermarkets.





Roast Potatoes with rosemary

I always boil the potatoes first and then shake them around in the pan before I roast them so they break up and get nice and fluffy on the outside (great little tip from Jamie Oliver). Put them in a roasting tin with olive oil, plenty of salt, a sprig of rosemary and some some whole garlic gloves. Roast for an hour and a half to two hours until crispy.




Green salad with rocket, red onion and toasted pinenuts

Cut a large red onion into six and fry in plenty of olive oil until soft. Mix with the salad, toasted pinenuts and balsamic vinegar.



Is there really anything better than a roast and a nice bottle of red on a Sunday afternoon?

15 comments:

Travel Italy said...

Truly a feast! ( I love roast potatoes)

Fra Dolcino said...

You don't imagine how happy I am every time I croos someone who doesn't like sundays and who has the same solutions as me...

for me yesterday it was mushroom omelette and bourgueil wine... cheers

Susan in Italy said...

What a fabulous dinner! Sounds really nutritious too. We were hiking in the Swiss/Italian mountains and ate polenta with porcini mushroom ragu and pizzocheri. Probably ALMOST as good as your dinner!

Wuching said...

looks delicious!

Brilynn said...

That roast looks perfectly done! Nice and pink

martinobhoy said...

Spot on a.c.t. Sundays are still the weekend and should be treated as such. I told a guy at work a few Mondays ago that I was out for a meal on the Sunday evening and he gave me a look of total disbelief before saying something like "on a school night?"

And that food looks delicious. So much better than the Greek food from a few posts ago!

Alfonso Cevola said...

Darn, that looks gooood!

Anonymous said...

I just invited myself over to Susan's for dinner and now I want to invite myself over to your place for this fabulous Sunday lunch! Everything looks so darn good. I have a good mind to make some of those roast potatoes for dinner tonight to compliment the main meal. Yum!

a.c.t. said...

Travel - Roast potatoes on a Sunday are essential. I also love the Italian style ones cooked on top instead of in the oven.

Bonjour Fra Dolcino - Am looking forward to reading more of your blog but my knowledge of French is limited so translation would be appreciated.

Susan - Your dinner sounds far better! Porcini mushroom ragu sounds delicious. And in the Italian/Swiss mountains! It doesn't get much better than that.

Wuchung - Thanks!

Brylinn - Thanks for the visit. It was really bloody, just how red meat should be.

Martino - I know. It's unbelievable the amount of people who are tucked in early on a Sunday night. It's so depressing.

IWG - Thanks. You should try it.

Lotus - Anytime you're around London, I'd be happy to cook it for you. Give the potatoes a try, they're so easy.

* (asterisk) said...

The meat looks gooood. Tell us about the meat. How did you do it? Any secrets?

a.c.t. said...

Ah well if I told you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore. Oh ok then.
It's the simplest thing in the whole world. I rubbed olive oil around the outside of the joint and then covered the outside with crushed black peppercorns and salt. I roasted it on a high heat for 15 mins then reduced the temperature and roasted for a further 15 mins. To be honest it could have done with a bit longer as when I cut it, it looked a scene from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but I'd rather have it like that than overcooked.

Anonymous said...

The beef looks so inviting. In fact it all looks inviting. Give us an invite!

Tracie P. said...

to answer your question--no, there is absolutely nothin' better :)

Martha Elaine Belden said...

WOW... that looks amazing! my mouth was watering with the first photo and by the end my stomach was yelling because it knows i'll most likely have peanut butter and jelly for dinner...

seriously, that meal looks SO good!

* (asterisk) said...

Cool, thanks ACT.