One of the reasons why I spent a week in the monastery was to work on a book I am writing about Lent and Lental traditions in Norway. The book will be printed in August, so now is the time to finish the writing before starting the challenging task to find illustrations.
In one of the chapters in the book I describe a Lent calendar. I use the seven colours of the rainbow, giving each of the seven weeks of lent its own colour. And every week get a recipe to mirror its colour.
On Friday, my last day at Tautra, I spent the morning reading Victoria Finlay's book Colours, and its chapter violet, and my mind was working hard - how could I ever come up with a recipe for the colour violet? The morning went fast (Finlay's book is a great read) and soon it was time for midday prayer and then dinner. Friday was a special feast in the Cictercian order, the day they celebrate their founders, and for several days the nuns and Father Anthony had given me hints about a very special dinner. Usually they live very simple, most dinners consisting of vegetables only, so my anticipation was high. I even almost forgot about the violet recipe which had been spinning on in my mind.......untill sister Sheryl brought in the food:
Lamb and purple potatoes! Angels were playing :-)
You will find more photos and more about this dinner over at The Blue Café.
