Weeknight Meals

Serve with white or flavored rice, cooked according to the package directions, or with sweet rolls.

French and fantastique, this will become a real favorite.

This meal is a combo of two favorite preparations: francese and piccata. Francese are egg-battered cutlets or fillets, and piccata are simply flour-dredged or plain cutlets or fillets sautéed with lemon and wine. I was never good at making decisions, especially regarding dinner, so I made up this two-for-one dinner. Serve with wilted fresh spinach or green salad.

Serve with a green salad.

This is a pizza I discovered on a trip to Rome as I wandered the side streets with my mom. It became such a favorite of mine that, on a return trip I made in the cold late fall, I think I ate hot, half-kilo blocks of it every day for a week. This is my at-home version. I love the feeling of giant slices of this hanging from my mouth. It really brings me back to Roman Holidays.

Tomatillos look like green tomatoes, but they’re not. They are related to gooseberries and they are sour to taste. This dish is a funky, fun twist on spaghetti and meatballs. It’s crazy—crazy good!

This one is fun for kids, like me. Serve as is, or accompany with black beans or refried beans and plain or flavored rice, prepared according to the package directions.

That’s what Mom and I called it, this light, delicious midday meal in Saint-Émilion, France. It’s a wonderful light supper in warm months and a good lunch in any season. To make this salad into a movable feast, serve with French ham, sausage, or pâté, cheese, and a baguette. Oh, and plenty of Saint-Émilion wine.

Serve with steamed broccoli or cauliflower.

Polpette are baby meatballs and these are stuffed with a pine nut (buttery, slightly crunchy surprise) and a currant or raisin (to keep the meat moist).

This simple feast brings together all my favorite flavors from a short, sweet stay in Bordeaux.

This is a mix-up of pasta e fagioli and minestra. Again, my indecisiveness is at play.