The other day my son-in-law and I were talking about my upcoming plans to pass along some of our dishes (the ones we use for meat meals), and instead start using my mother’s beautiful china. Those dishes, which lived happily and visibly in my parents’ house for sixty-plus years, have not been used at all for the past 10 or 15 years, and it seems a waste for us not to be using them now. So it will be out with the new, and in with the old. And also, since we don’t eat meat very much anymore, chicken and turkey not more than once or twice a month, and beef no more than once or twice a year, I had the idea to move the meat dishes out of the kitchen itself, and into a little pantry off the kitchen. That way, they will be nearby when we need them, but the rest of the time we will be able to fill the kitchen cabinets with items we use a lot more often. 

My wise and thoughtful son-in-law listened, and then said that it makes sense to use Grandma’s china only for when we eat meat, because any meal at which we eat meat is —or should be—a special occasion. In other words, the eating of meat is, in and of itself, is — or at least should be considered — special, out of the ordinary, and appreciated. That sounded right. Using the good china for all the meals at which we eat meat is another way to acknowledge that those meals are celebrations. Really, when you think about it, pretty much the only times we eat meat anymore are on holidays. I really love that. That is exactly what we’re going to do. We don’t need everyday meat dishes because no meal at which meat is served is casual. On the rare occasions we eat meat, serving it on Grandma Estelle’s china will be another way to express our gratitude.  

The rest of the time, we can eat recipes like these delicious lentils on our regular dishes: 

1 medium-large onion, chopped
3 Tbsp. olive oil (divided)
1 cup red lentils
4 cups vegetable broth
1 handful fresh cilantro
1 tsp. plus 1 pinch salt
2 Tbsp. lemon juice (juice of 1 lemon, approx.)

Fry the onion in 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan until soft and translucent. Add lentils and broth, and bring to a boil. Simmer 10-15 minutes until lentils are soft and beginning to break apart. 

Use a mini high-speed blender or a mortar and pestle to puree the cilantro with 1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil plus a pinch of salt. Set aside. 

Use a stick blender to puree approximately half the lentils. Add lemon juice and stir well. Drizzle the cilantro puree on top of the lentils. Serve as is, or pour over a mound of brown rice or whole-grain bread if you like. 

Note: If you are not a cilantro lover, you can substitute fresh parsley. Also delicious.

Serves 3-4.