A capital T, which rhymes with P, and that stands for...

Pâté, of course!

Everybody likes a controversy, and pâté is the most controversial food of all. I mean, the controversy is due to the whole engorged goose liver deal, and this version is made of walnuts and mushrooms and lentils and onions, so it probably doesn't count, but still.

Turns out vegetarian pâté is uncontroversially good as a component of an artisan bread crostini with a green apple, zucchini, and lemon relish. Secondary benefit: much more healthful than foie gras. The zippy relish is kind of a spunky touch to a crostini that filled me up without weighing me down, which isn't too much to ask, is it?

The pâté recipe is here, from the lovely blog Urban Chickpea. Three cups is a lot, by the way (I hope it freezes well...), so halving it may be wise unless you're making finger sandwiches for twelve. To make the relish, I chopped a zucchini and a green apple and mixed it with the juice of a small lemon, a tablespoon of rice wine vinegar, a little pepper, and a little lemon zest, then let the mixture rest in the fridge for a couple hours. The bread is Peter Reinhart's artisan bread.

I should have made Indian food tonight, because I wanted to comment on Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy, which I've been chugging through. I bought it as a birthday present for Andy, started reading it, got totally hooked, and pre-emptively appropriated it. It's as quick a read as a 1500-page book can be, and as unconvoluted a read as a 1500-page book with 20 arguably "main" characters can be. It's also beautiful. Seth can write with such sweet, endearing humor. In any case, don't be intimidated by the length of A Suitable Boy. Go forth and read.