Vegetables

Eastside Road, December 2, 2013—

WE'VE BEEN EATING a lot of meat lately, Cook said this afternoon when I asked what dinner would be; Tonight we're having vegetables. And she was right, at least on the second matter. You see them here: some Romanesco reheated, I think, from the other night, none the worse for that; and a roast stir-fry, if that makes any sense. I asked what was in it: I'll have to look, she answered. Had she really forgotten what she'd prepared?

Or, even less likely, was she protecting my tender sensibilities from the news I'd be eating butternut squash, or some other dreadful cucurbit?

I think I know what's in this mélange: zucchini, cherry tomatoes, a few garlic cloves, a carrot or two sliced crosswise, yes a bit of butternut squash lending its chestnutty texture, potatoes. The tomatoes lifted the dish beyond what might otherwise have been a winter's peasant's plate.

Afterward, bread and cheese, because one needs one's protein. This is a d'Affinois, a soft creamy cow's-milk cheese rather like Brie but much fresher and younger.

And then of course the green salad; and a sliced pear — amazing how well the pears have been holding…

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