Weeknight Meals

Braising is an excellent way to keep fish steaks moist and flavorful.

Pan-sear to crisp the skin, then pop the fillets in the oven to finish the job.

Breading gives skinless fillets oomph, and a quick sauté cooks them through.

Thick-cut oven fries are delicious—and so easy, especially if you don't have time to make the deep-fried version. Use russet or purple potatoes, or a mixture of both.

This is a clever combination of steak au poivre and Stroganoff.

Be sure to use white corn—it's sweeter.

Wilted radicchio and spinach are a nice match for spicy red pepper flakes and smoky, salty bacon. Treviso—with its not-too-tough (but also not-too-tender) leaves—is the best choice for this recipe if you can find it.

"Green peas were considered a great delicacy," says Edna Lewis in The Taste of Country Cooking. "If our peas ripened first, they were shared with the neighbors and vice versa." Since garden-fresh peas have become practically impossible to find, we rely on frozen peas for this classic combination. Serve it, as Miss Lewis would, with skillet-cooked chicken and biscuits on an evening in late spring.

Radicchio's bitterness is a nice match for the slightly sweet sausages. Serve this hearty dish with crusty bread or with pasta tossed with olive oil, garlic, and chopped Italian parsley.

Here, a velvety sauce studded with salty nuggets of country ham strengthens, rather than hides, the meaty savor of asparagus. But what we particularly love about this dish is the toast, made from a sturdy white sandwich loaf, one from a bakery (not from the packaged-bread aisle at the supermarket), the kind of bread that doesn't disintegrate under an extravagant topping but instead turns succulent.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Rick Tramonto's book Fantastico! I unabashedly love beef tartare and yes, this is my favorite crostini, particularly because I gild the lily with a drizzle of truffle oil! Steak tartare has been around for a good long time, and according to legend, its name refers to the Tartars, the nomads who roamed eastern Europe, for a time under the leadership of Attila the Hun. Fierce and bloodthirsty, the Tartars purportedly ate raw meat for strength. Tartars were Huns, but "beef hun" just doesn't have the panache of beef, or steak, tartare. If you've never had beef tartare, try it my way; then make it your way by omitting what you may not like such as capers, Worcestershire sauce, or anchovies. But don't fool with the beef. Buy the best you can from a reputable butcher. I use prime beef when possible, but because it is sometimes hard to find, I may turn to high-quality choice beef instead.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Rick Tramonto's book Fantastico! Don't look any further for a succulent crab salad open-face sandwich. The little garlic toasts piled high with rich, moist crab can be polished off in one or two bites. I can't think of a better way to start a meal! Don't skimp on the crabmeat. You need only a pound, so buy the best you can find. Bon appétit!

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Rick Tramonto's book Fantastico!

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Rick Tramonto's book Fantastico! If you like hummus—and most people do—you will love this bean puree, which could be called an Italian version of the classic bean spread. For my mother, ceci beans (chickpeas) were a household staple, so they are for me, too. I keep cans in my pantry at all times because they are so versatile. You could cook your own instead of relying on canned, but for this puree I find the canned beans are just fine. And so much easier. Don't scrimp on the olive oil—you want the puree to be juicy and rich. The squeeze of lemon juice at the end will make you sing "hallelujah!"

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Rick Tramonto's book Fantastico! I serve this traditional side dish as an antipasto. Guess what? I like it more as a small plate to kick off a meal than as a side. On the other hand, you could serve this in larger amounts as a side dish or even instead of a pasta course. And because the ragu is even better the second day, I make a lot, so you will have leftovers. Soft polenta, blended with plenty of cheese and butter, is lusciously creamy and becomes the delicious base for the meaty mushroom and sausage ragu. This is a terrific start to a fall meal of fish and a salad. Polenta may be yellow or white; I prefer yellow because of its color and slightly earthy, intense flavor.

You'll find this tenderloin a wonderful change of pace—since it's not seared before cooking, the tenderness extends all the way through the crust (and it's less work for the cook). A woodsy suggestion of rosemary on the meat's surface is underlined by the lusciously savory, almost jammy tomato confit.