Weeknight Meals

This Mediterranean-style dish can be teamed with green beans and rice, noodles or sautéed potatoes for an easy and sophisticated supper.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

For some time I had been thinking: How can I pare down a classic meat sauce for those occasions when I have neither the time to make nor the voracity to consume a full-scale ragù? The sauce below is the answer I came up with. I replaced beef with veal; eliminated the milk, the wine, the carrot, and the celery; and reduced the cooking time from several hours to half of one. It is as easy to take as it is to do. Is it a favorite dish? Sure — it is my favorite simple meat sauce. Suggested pasta: The ideal carrier for this simple meat sauce is a homemade noodle, in particular one scented with rosemary and sage, cut into fettuccine or tonnarelli.  Boxed dry pasta in a short tubular shape such as penne or maccheroncini  can be a satisfactory alternative.

Serve these onions with pan-browned veal rib chops or roast chicken.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This soup is very thick; it can be thinned with additional chicken broth, if desired.

The perfect accompaniment to grilled fish, chicken or meat. Try cooked bell peppers, mushrooms and onions over the coals, too.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

(Grilled Beef Salad) The following grilled beef salad has as many versions as there are cooks in Thailand. The success of the dish depends upon starting with good-quality tenderloin and achieving a balance of hot, sour, and salty. Before serving, be sure to sample the salad and adjust the amount of chili, lime, fish sauce — and, if desired, sugar — to your taste.

For a casual supper, broil rounds of prepared polenta roll, and toss romaine lettuce with oil and vinegar; end with cheesecake. For a special dinner, have broccoli spears with browned butter and orzo pilaf with Parmesan. Buy a hazelnut dacquoise or other fancy cake from the bakery for a great dessert.

This recipe is from Winnie Spazano, my second mom/housekeeper, who by day ran an elementary school cafeteria and by night cooked "something special" for my brothers and me. The following is a standout. As it was placed in front of my nine-year-old face, I thought, "I can't each something this large!" To this day, I don't understand the name.

For this recipe you may use whatever mushrooms you happen to have on hand. Serve the dish as an accompaniment to grilled or roasted meats, seafood, or chicken or with soup as a light lunch or dinner.