Marinating

I'm hosting lunch on Sunday for the Belgian Grand Prix -- not the usual lot, just a few from the music group who also happen to be into Formula 1. I have every intention of being totally on top of things on the day, and preparing in advance obviously goes a long way towards making that happen. Beginning 40 hours beforehand is perhaps going a bit far, but the main course needs to marinate overnight to begin with, and I want to cook it tomorrow and re-heat it on Sunday, so a start had to be made tonight. Just approaching midnight, while still barely the proper side of the witching hour in terms of Blip rules, this is what Sunday's Rich Beef Casserole looks like. Lots of cubes of chuck steak, marinating with onions, bouquet garni and black peppercorns in a large bath of full-bodied red wine and some red wine vinegar. It's covered now, and both it and I will rest overnight.

What a miserable day it was in terms of weather! I woke to the sound of torrential rain, the guy delivering a top-up of heating oil had to wade through ankle-deep water in the back yard to get to the tank, the rain continued unabated until after midday, the afternoon and evening were dark and dull, and there's been more rain for the past couple of hours to add to the general misery. I'll be up and about bright and early in the morning to continue with food preparation and house cleaning/tidying. The grand plan is to have the starter and main course out of the way by 8.00 or 9.00 pm. Re-heating can begin when half-way through the race, and dessert, which needs to be served straight from the oven, is scheduled for commencement when the race finishes.

That's the plan anyway. We'll see how the reality pans out.