Weeknight Meals

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This dish is equally delicious prepared with turkey, seafood, beef, or pork.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Start with a romaine salad tossed with Dijon vinaigrette, and pass rolls for dipping into the mussel broth. Lemon tarts from the bakery would be a nice finale.

Called tzatziki in Greece, this yogurt sauce can also be used on a baked potato as a nonfat alternative to sour cream. To prevent the pita bread in this recipe from getting soggy, place the trimmed portion of the bread down into the pocket to act as a sponge for the lamb drippings and yogurt.

Crème de Courgettes à l'anis Serve this soup either hot or cold.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Traditionally, kebabs are made of lamb or mutton, but beef, veal and even pork tenderloin are delicious cooked in this manner. Here are several versions, adaptable to any kind of meat.

A narrow strip of land at the southwestern tip of India, the state of Kerala is interlaced with a network of lagoons, canals, lakes, and rivers. Peddlers sell fish from these waters and other food by boat along the canals. This curry is styled after the ones these boatmen cook for themselves. It incorporates many ingredients of the Kerala kitchen: black peppercorns, fiery red chiles, mustard seeds, and the ubiquitous coconut. In India they toss about 20 fresh curry leaves into the kettle along with the onion, garlic, gingerroot, chiles, and peppercorns. These aromatic leaves can be difficult to find in the U.S., but if you locate some, by all means use them.

The sweet potato and coconut milk balance the spiciness of this dish. Serve it over white rice, and dinner is ready.

Cafe Vesuvio in St. Charles offers an absolutely delicious dish of angel hair pasta topped with tuna. We'd like to know how to make it. Nancy and John Noble St. Charles, Illinois

A delicious soup from Tágide.

This warming and satisfying winter soup is a delicious starter, and the vegetables add color and sweetness.