Tra la la

I decided, rather belatedly, that what I wanted to cook for Christmas Day dinner with P. was spiced beef. Belatedly, because this is really something you should start 10-14 days in advance, but oh well. ( For those who might like to try this next year, or for New Year's, perhaps... )

I first got this recipe from an article by Laurie Colwin (author of the entirely wonderful "Home Cooking," one of my favorite food books ever), who in turn got it from Elizabeth David, but it goes way back into antiquity (as I discovered, googling around). It's well worth the time involved; it turns an ordinary chunk of meat into something savoury and complex, and the daily ritual of the spice-rub becomes part of the anticipatory ramp-up to Christmas. Just don't do it if you're already feeling stressed and frayed by too many daily chores; it should, ideally, be a minor celebration, a sort of culinary Advent calendar.

I used to make this every Christmas, for years, and then I stopped; I'm not sure why. I used to bake bread, too, on a regular once- or twice-weekly schedule, and then I stopped that too. But today I'm spicing my beef roast, and I have a loaf rising in the oven. I've been extremely lacking in the holiday spirit overall so far this year, but maybe I'm finally getting back into the swing.