Filling and Fulfilling

So here’s a shot of last night’s roast beast, fresh from the oven.  I splurged on a USDA Prime rib roast, the price of which quite startled me.  I sprinkled it with Indonesian white pepper, garlic, and allspice (the Finnish housewife’s best friend), and then dusted it with flour before tossing it in the oven.  I served it with buttermilk mashed potatoes stirred up with garlic and horseradish, brown-braised pearl onions, baby peas, and a gravy I made with red wine, sea salt, yet more garlic, yet more pepper, and yet more allspice.  (Really, I can’t recommend allspice enough where red meat is concerned.)

All that was needed was to open a bottle of Chateauneuf-du-Pape and wait for Baby Jesus.  Who didn’t turn up, which left me with some free time to wonder how the wine is at the Pope’s eight other chateaus.  

The non-arrival of Baby Jesus left us with plenty of leftovers, so that should keep us going for the rest of the week.  Plus, there are the holiday tamales, which I haven’t even tasted yet.

From all of us here at the Rancho Praxis, I wish you the most filling and fulfilling of holidays.  May it fortify you against the hard times ahead.