I boiled brown rice, steamed butternut pumpkin precut into small chunks, steamed some frozen green peas, and reheated green-tomato sauce.

The result is the following dish:

As with the Patatas Bravas shown in the last blog post, the look is brown sludge and not attractive but the taste is terrific (the sauce is full of flavour).  The butternut pumpkin without the sauce is flavourless; bland as …  And it lacks the brilliant colour of the yellow we know so well with Kent pumpkin.  So gold does not sparkle off the plate.

Back to the drawing board … what can I do that makes the sauce the hero of the dish and yet presents something that looks enticing; that enhances the presentation?  Or should I make another ingredient the hero of the dish and let this sauce takes a back seat? The strong spicy flavours make it difficult to use with most produce.