Fish

Serve thick-cut french fries and a mixed-greens, beet and onion salad alongside the fish. Finish with a purchased custard pie; tall glasses of mint iced tea would complement all of it nicely.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Sharpen your cutting and chopping skills and see how to prepare salmon like a pro with our technique videos.

Using a pastry bag to pipe the hummus onto the pita toasts saved us a lot of time (and made for nice-looking hors d'oeuvres). You can make your own pastry bag with a heavy-duty plastic bag. Just spoon the hummus into the bag and squeeze it into one corner. Then snip off the corner to make a small hole and begin piping.

Our tuna salad has a Mediterranean twist: olives and roasted red peppers. Have this sandwich for lunch at home or work or on a picnic, served with a tomato salad. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 20 min

Begin with chicken soup enriched with tiny pasta and fresh spinach leaves. Thick slices of country bread are perfect with the tuna salad, and tiramisù is the dessert of choice.

Grilling the fish makes it moist and tender.

More flavor and less fat than deep-fried fish.

These are excellent with beet soup.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Martini fans will find that this simple and elegant appetizer goes perfectly with their favorite cocktail.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Fresh Ricotta, Anchovy, and Oregano Toasts Crostini refers to a whole family of antipasti based on thin slices of bread, toasted, sometimes brushed with olive oil, and covered with any number of savory toppings. If you can, buy fresh anchovies and marinate them yourself or buy them already marinated from an Italian or Hispanic deli (where they are known as alici marinati or boquerones respectively; see note below).

Small fish, such as a small trout, can be grilled whole without splitting. A larger, thick fish should be split.

That renewal of my acquaintance with marrow led to the invention of a canapé or sandwich filling that I believe to be without a peer as an accompaniment for cocktails. In the beginning I produced small batches, but they vanished with such unbelievable rapidity that I was forced to make them larger and larger. I pass on the recipe willingly, for the good of the human race, which has too long suffered from canapés that either adhere distressingly to the roof of the mouth or result in unsightly toothpicks scattered on the floor.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe is from chef Matthew Moran of Moran's Restaurant and Cafe in Sydney. He recommends when buying the beef, choose thick sirloin steaks, grain-fed preferably, and that they be brought to room temperature before cooking.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.