One night last week I was in the mood for vegetables with a French accent. Mireille’s eggplant with Tomato Sauce, Grilled Zucchini with Balsamic and sautéed shallots, and some brown rice made an unassuming and delicious dinner.

The wine was a charming “sleeper”, a Cinsault from Chile.

It also went well with the dinner Barbara made the next night: comforting Polenta with a rich Ratatouille, supplemented with Mushroom Ragout.

Lunch in-between featured my sourdough bruschetta, one with a roasted eggplant purée, the other with whipped almond milk and feta cheese.

Another night was really good homemade cannelloni, stuffed with a purée of fresh spinach and the whipped cheese mixture, plus Parmesan. These were sauced with tomato and baked with mozzarella.

Another lunch featured a salad with arugula, two kinds of beans, red onion, celery, purple daikon radish, Dijon mustard, and the best oil and vinegar I could find. Of course, some fried sourdough enriched the meal. The wine was Deirdre Heekin’s Harlots and Ruffians, from Vermont, a lovely counterpoint.