Not Just Another Tom, Dick, or Harry

As one may conclude from most of my posts, one of my biggest challenges as a cook lies in how interestingly I can prepare vegetables as a main dish. But even more so is how I present the meal to Shane when he asks "What's for supper tonight?". If I answer "lentils and kale" or "sweet potato soup," quite often the lackluster name is greeted with doubt and un-enthusiasm. You mean a plate heaped with gently simmered lentils and grass-green kale doesn't make one's mouth water? What if I said I'm serving both over whole wheat penne? Still, doesn't do the trick, does it? Once the smell of caramelized onions float over the kitchen, once I season tender kale, once I poor the water from the perfectly chewy pasta, once I place a plate of this humble meal on the table, a hungry Shane ignores the bland name. Taste, texture, and sight replace chagrin. "It didn't sound very appetising, but the taste, wow!"

I fancy myself a seasoned vegetarian cook, but I still have issues with making vegetables sound appetising. When I write the weekly menu, sometimes I try to give the dish its proper Italian, French, or Persian name, but this more often is met with a perplexed "huh?", and I have to answer with the crude, American name: butternut squash with pasta; puréed cauliflower soup; eggplant and yogurt dip.

It's not until I place a colorful meal on the table that Shane's interest is piqued. If I've happened to serve chicken next to vividly hued cinnamon roasted carrots or a few shrimp bathing in a spicy curry accompanied by crispy and nutty green beans, the vegetables literally leave the meat cold. And instead of discussing the current political scene or what happened in our individual lives that day, our conversation in steered to how we can develop a meal that focuses only on green beans or carrots.

Ditch the cinnamon. No, keep the cinnamon and maybe some cumin. How about a salad? What about your roasted baby potatoes. Perhaps make some of that lemon tahini sauce with all the garlic. With a side of red lentil soup. What about just making roasted potatoes to dip in a fondue-like mix of melted Gruyère cheese? With some of your roasted cauliflower. That sounds hearty. Would a side salad with toasted walnuts and balsamic vinegar work?

Several years into my game, and it's finally dawned on me. What's in a name? Potato, cauliflower, and carrot fondue? Yawn to yuck. What's in a description? Crisp and tender roasted potatoes and cauliflower with a nutty Gruyère fondue. Mmmm... Is anyone taking notes?