101 Simple Meals Ready in 10 Minutes or Less



The pleasures of cooking are sometimes obscured by summer haze and

heat, which can cause many of us to turn instead to bad restaurants

and worse takeout. But the cook with a little bit of experience has

a wealth of quick and easy alternatives at hand. The trouble is that

when it's too hot, even the most resourceful cook has a hard time

remembering all the options. So here are 101 substantial main

courses, all of which get you in and out of the kitchen in 10

minutes or less. (I'm not counting the time it takes to bring water

to a boil, but you can stay out of the kitchen for that.) These

suggestions are not formal recipes; rather, they provide a general

outline. With a little imagination and some swift moves �?and maybe

a salad and a loaf of bread �?you can turn any dish on this list

into a meal that not only will be better than takeout, but won't

heat you out of the house.



1 Make six-minute eggs: simmer gently, run under cold water until

cool, then peel. Serve over steamed asparagus.



2 Toss a cup of chopped mixed herbs with a few tablespoons of olive

oil in a hot pan. Serve over angel-hair pasta, diluting the sauce if

necessary with pasta cooking water.



3 Cut eight sea scallops into four horizontal slices each. Arrange

on plates. Sprinkle with lime juice, salt and crushed chilies; serve

after five minutes.



4 Open a can of white beans and combine with olive oil, salt, small

or chopped shrimp, minced garlic and thyme leaves in a pan. Cook,

stirring, until the shrimp are done; garnish with more olive oil.



5 Put three pounds of washed mussels in a pot with half a cup of

white wine, garlic cloves, basil leaves and chopped tomatoes. Steam

until mussels open. Serve with bread.



6 Heat a quarter-inch of olive oil in a skillet. Dredge flounder or

sole fillets in flour and fry until crisp, about two minutes a side.

Serve on sliced bread with tartar sauce.



7 Make pesto: put a couple of cups of basil leaves, a garlic clove,

salt, pepper and olive oil as necessary in a blender (walnuts and

Parmesan are optional). Serve over pasta (dilute with oil or water

as necessary) or grilled fish or meat.



8 Put a few dozen washed littlenecks in a large, hot skillet with

olive oil. When clams begin to open, add a tablespoon or two of

chopped garlic. When most or all are opened, add parsley. Serve

alone, with bread or over angel-hair pasta.



9 Pan-grill a skirt steak for three or four minutes a side. Sprinkle

with salt and pepper, slice and serve over romaine or any other

green salad, drizzled with olive oil and lemon.



10 Smear mackerel fillets with mustard, then sprinkle with chopped

herbs (fresh tarragon is good), salt, pepper and bread crumbs. Bake

in a 425-degree oven for about eight minutes.



11 Warm olive oil in a skillet with at least three cloves sliced

garlic. When the garlic colors, add at least a teaspoon each of

cumin and pimentón. A minute later, add a dozen or so shrimp, salt

and pepper. Garnish with parsley, serve with lemon and bread.



12 Boil a lobster. Serve with lemon or melted butter.



13 Gazpacho: Combine one pound tomatoes cut into chunks, a cucumber

peeled and cut into chunks, two or three slices stale bread torn

into pieces, a quarter-cup olive oil, two tablespoons sherry vinegar

and a clove of garlic in a blender with one cup water and a couple

of ice cubes. Process until smooth, adding water if necessary.

Season with salt and pepper, then serve or refrigerate, garnished

with anchovies if you like, and a little more olive oil.



14 Put a few slices of chopped prosciutto in a skillet with olive

oil, a couple of cloves of crushed garlic and a bit of butter; a

minute later, toss in about half a cup bread crumbs and red chili

flakes to taste. Serve over pasta with chopped parsley.



15 Call it panini: Grilled cheese with prosciutto, tomatoes, thyme

or basil leaves.



16 Slice or chop salami, corned beef or kielbasa and warm in a

little oil; stir in eggs and scramble. Serve with mustard and rye

bread.



17 Soak couscous in boiling water to cover until tender; top with

sardines, tomatoes, parsley, olive oil and black pepper.



18 Stir-fry a pound or so of ground meat or chopped fish mixed with

chopped onions and seasoned with cumin or chili powder. Pile into

taco shells or soft tacos, along with tomato, lettuce, canned beans,

onion, cilantro and sour cream.



19 Chinese tomato and eggs: Cook minced garlic in peanut oil until

blond; add chopped tomatoes then, a minute later, beaten eggs, along

with salt and pepper. Scramble with a little soy sauce.



20 Cut eggplant into half-inch slices. Broil with lots of olive oil,

turning once, until tender and browned. Top with crumbled goat or

feta cheese and broil another 20 seconds.



21 While pasta cooks, combine a couple cups chopped tomatoes, a

teaspoon or more minced garlic, olive oil and 20 to 30 basil leaves.

Toss with pasta, salt, pepper and Parmesan.



22 Make wraps of tuna, warm white beans, a drizzle of olive oil and

lettuce and tomato.



23 The New York supper: Bagels, cream cheese, smoked salmon. Serve

with tomatoes, watercress or arugula, and sliced red onion or

shallot.



24 Dredge thinly sliced chicken breasts in flour or cornmeal; cook

about two minutes a side in hot olive oil. Place on bread with

lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise.



25 Upscale tuna salad: good canned tuna (packed in olive oil),

capers, dill or parsley, lemon juice but no mayo. Use to stuff a

tomato or two.



26 Cut Italian sausage into chunks and brown in a little olive oil;

chop onions and bell peppers and add them to the pan. Cook until

sausage is browned and peppers and onions tender. Serve in

sandwiches.



27 Egg in a hole, glorified: Tear a hole in a piece of bread and fry

in butter. Crack an egg into the hole. Deglaze pan with a little

sherry vinegar mixed with water, and more butter; pour over egg.



28 New Joe's Special, from San Francisco: Brown ground meat with

minced garlic and chopped onion. When just about cooked, add chopped

spinach and cook, stirring, until wilted. At the last minute, stir

in two eggs, along with grated Parmesan and salt and pepper.



29 Chop prosciutto and crisp it in a skillet with olive oil; add

chopped not-too-ripe figs. Serve over greens dressed with oil and

vinegar; top all with crumbled blue cheese.



30 Quesadilla: Use a combination of cheeses, like Fontina mixed with

grated pecorino. Put on half of a large flour tortilla with pickled

jalapenos, chopped onion, shallot or scallion, chopped tomatoes and

grated radish. Fold tortilla over and brown on both sides in butter

or oil, until cheese is melted.



31 Fast chile rellenos: Drain canned whole green chilies. Make a

slit in each and insert a piece of cheese. Dredge in flour and fry

in a skillet, slit side up, until cheese melts.



32 Cobb-ish salad: Chop bacon and begin to brown it; cut boneless

chicken into strips and cook it with bacon. Toss romaine and

watercress or arugula with chopped tomatoes, avocado, onion and

crumbled blue cheese. Add bacon and chicken. Dress with oil and

vinegar.



33 Sauté 10 whole peeled garlic cloves in olive oil. Meanwhile,

grate Pecorino, grind lots of black pepper, chop parsley and cook

pasta. Toss all together, along with crushed dried chili flakes and

salt.



34 Niçoise salad: Lightly steam haricot verts, green beans or

asparagus. Arrange on a plate with chickpeas, good canned tuna, hard-

cooked eggs, a green salad, sliced cucumber and tomato. Dress with

oil and vinegar.



35 Cold soba with dipping sauce: Cook soba noodles, then rinse in

cold water until cool. Serve with a sauce of soy sauce and minced

ginger diluted with mirin and/or dry sake.



36 Fried egg "saltimbocca"<WBR>: Lay slices of prosciutto or ham in a

buttered skillet. Fry eggs on top of ham; top with grated Parmesan.



37 Frisée aux lardons: Cook chunks of bacon in a skillet. Meanwhile,

make six-minute or poached eggs and a frisée salad. Put eggs on top

of salad along with bacon; deglaze pan with sherry vinegar and pour

pan juices over all.



38 Fried rice: Soften vegetables with oil in a skillet. Add cold

takeout rice, chopped onion, garlic, ginger, peas and two beaten

eggs. Toss until hot and cooked through. Season with soy sauce and

sesame oil.



39 Taco salad: Toss together greens, chopped tomato, chopped red

onion, sliced avocado, a small can of black beans and kernels from a

couple of ears of corn. Toss with crumbled tortilla chips and grated

cheese. Dress with olive oil, lime and chopped cilantro leaves.



40 Put a large can of chickpeas and their liquid in a medium

saucepan. Add some sherry, along with olive oil, plenty of minced

garlic, smoked pimentón and chopped Spanish chorizo. Heat through.



41 Raita to the rescue: Broil any fish. Serve with a sauce of

drained yogurt mixed with chopped cucumber, minced onion and

cayenne.



42 Season boneless lamb steaks cut from the leg with sweet curry

powder. Sear on both sides. Serve over greens, with lemon wedges.



43 Migas, with egg: Sauté chopped stale bread with olive oil,

mushrooms, onions and spinach. Stir in a couple of eggs.



44 Migas, without egg: Sauté chopped stale bread with chopped

Spanish chorizo, plenty of garlic and lots of olive oil. Finish with

chopped parsley.



45 Sauté shredded zucchini in olive oil, adding garlic and chopped

herbs. Serve over pasta.



46 Broil a few slices prosciutto until crisp; crumble and toss with

parsley, Parmesan, olive oil and pasta.



47 Not exactly banh mi, but... Make sandwiches on crisp bread with

liverwurst, ham, sliced half-sours, shredded carrots, cilantro

sprigs and Vietnamese chili-garlic paste.



48 Not takeout: Stir-fry onions with cut-up broccoli. Add cubed

tofu, chicken or shrimp, or sliced beef or pork, along with a

tablespoon each minced garlic and ginger. When almost done, add half

cup of water, two tablespoons soy sauce and plenty of black pepper.

Heat through and serve over fresh Chinese noodles.



49 Sprinkle sole fillets with chopped parsley, garlic, salt and

pepper; roll up, dip in flour, then beaten egg, then bread crumbs;

cook in hot olive oil about three minutes a side. Serve with lemon

wedges.



50 The Waldorf: Toast a handful of walnuts in a skillet. Chop an

apple or pear; toss with greens, walnuts and a dressing made with

olive oil, sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard and shallot. Top, if you

like, with crumbled goat or blue cheese.



51 Put a stick of butter and a handful of pine nuts in a skillet.

Cook over medium heat until both are brown. Toss with cooked pasta,

grated Parmesan and black pepper.



52 Grill or sauté Italian sausage and serve over store-bought

hummus, with lemon wedges.



53 Put a tablespoon of cream and a slice of tomato in each of

several small ramekins. Top with an egg, then salt, pepper and

grated Parmesan. Bake at 350 degrees until the eggs set. Serve with

toast.



54 Brown small pork (or hot dog) chunks in a skillet. Add white

beans, garlic, thyme and olive oil. Or add white beans and ketchup.



55 Dredge skate or flounder in flour and brown quickly in butter or

oil. Deglaze pan with a couple of spoonfuls of capers and a lot of

lemon juice or a little vinegar.



56 Make a fast tomato sauce of olive oil, chopped tomatoes and

garlic. Poach eggs in the sauce, then top with Parmesan.



57 Dip pork cutlets in egg, then dredge heavily in panko; brown

quickly on both sides. Serve over lettuce, with fresh lemon, or

bottled Japanese curry sauce.



58 Cook chicken livers in butter or oil with garlic; do not

overcook. Finish with parsley, lemon juice and coarse salt; serve

over toast.



59 Brown bratwursts with cut-up apples. Serve with coleslaw.



60 Peel and thinly slice raw beets; cook in butter until soft. Take

out of pan and quickly cook some shrimp in same pan. Deglaze pan

with sherry vinegar, adding sauce to beets and shrimp. Garnish with

dill.



61 Poach shrimp and plunge into ice water. Serve with cocktail

sauce: one cup ketchup, one tablespoon vinegar, three tablespoons

melted butter and lots of horseradish.



62 Southeast Asia steak salad: Pan- or oven-grill skirt or flank

steak. Slice and serve on a pile of greens with a sauce of one

tablespoon each of nam pla and lime juice, black pepper, a teaspoon

each of sugar and garlic, crushed red chili flakes and Thai basil.



63 Miso steak: Coat beef tenderloin steaks (filet mignon) with a

blend of miso and chili paste thinned with sake or white wine. Grill

or broil about five minutes.



64 Pasta with fresh tomatoes: Cook chopped fresh tomatoes in butter

or oil with garlic until tender, while pasta cooks. Combine and

serve with grated Parmesan.



65 Sauté squid rings and tentacles in olive oil with salt and pepper

and garlic; add chopped tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes break

down. Serve over pasta.



66 Salmon (or just about anything else) teriyaki: Sear salmon steaks

on both sides for a couple of minutes; remove. To skillet, add a

splash of water, sake, a little sugar and soy sauce; when mixture is

thick, return steaks to pan and turn in sauce until done. Serve hot

or at room temperature.



67 Rich vegetable soup: Cook asparagus tips and peeled stalks or

most any other green vegetable in chicken stock with a little

tarragon until tender; reserve a few tips and purée the rest with a

little butter (cream or yogurt, too, if you like) adding enough

stock to thin the purée. Garnish with the reserved tips. Serve hot

or cold.



68 Brush portobello caps with olive oil; sprinkle with salt and

pepper and broil until tender. Briefly sweat chopped onions, then

scramble eggs with them. Put eggs in mushrooms.



69 Buy good blintzes. Brown them on both sides in butter. Serve with

sour cream, apple sauce or both.



70 Sauté squid rings and tentacles in olive oil with salt and

pepper. Make a sauce of minced garlic, smoked pimentón, mayo, lots

of lemon juice and fresh parsley. Serve with a chopped salad of

cucumber, tomato, lettuce, grated carrot and scallion, lightly

dressed.



71 Press a lot of coarsely ground black pepper onto both sides of

filet mignon or other steaks or chopped meat patties. Brown in

butter in a skillet for two minutes a side. Remove steaks and add a

splash of red wine, chopped shallots and a bit of tarragon to

skillet. Reduce, then return steaks to pan, turning in the sauce for

a minute or two.



72 World's leading sandwich: prosciutto, tomato, butter or olive oil

and a baguette.



73 Near instant mezze: Combine hummus on a plate with yogurt laced

with chopped cucumbers and a bit of garlic, plus tomato, feta, white

beans with olive oil and pita bread.



74 Canned sardines packed in olive oil on Triscuits, with mustard

and Tabasco.



75 Boil-and-eat shrimp, cooked in water with Old Bay seasoning or a

mixture of thyme, garlic, paprika, chopped onion, celery, chili,

salt and pepper.



76 Make a thin plain omelet with two or three eggs. Sauté cubes of

bacon or pancetta or strips of prosciutto until crisp. Cut up the

omelet and use it and the meat to garnish a green salad dressed with

olive oil and balsamic vinegar.



77 Sear corn kernels in olive oil with minced jalapeños and chopped

onions; toss with cilantro, black beans, chopped tomatoes, chopped

bell pepper and lime.



78 Cook shrimp in a skillet slowly (five minutes or so) to preserve

their juices, with plenty of garlic and olive oil, until done; pour

over watercress or arugula, with lemon, pepper and salt.



79 Liverwurst on good sourdough rye with scallions, tomato and

wholegrain mustard.



80 Not-quite merguez: Ground lamb burgers seasoned with cumin,

garlic, onion, salt and cayenne. Serve with couscous and green

salad, along with bottled harissa.



81 Combine crab meat with mayo, Dijon mustard, chives and tarragon.

Serve in a sandwich, with potato chips.



82 Combine canned tuna in olive oil, halved grape tomatoes, black

olives, mint, lemon zest and red pepper flakes. Serve with pasta,

thinning with olive oil or pasta cooking water as needed.



83 Pit and chop a cup or more of mixed olives. Combine with olive

oil, a little minced garlic, red pepper flakes and chopped basil or

parsley. Serve over pasta.



84 Cook chopped tomatillos with a little water or stock, cilantro

and a little minced fresh chili; serve over grilled, broiled or

sautéed chicken breasts, with corn tortillas.



85 A winning sandwich: bresaola or prosciutto, arugula, Parmesan,

marinated artichoke hearts, tomato.



86 Smoked trout fillets served with lightly toasted almonds,

shredded fennel, a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of lemon.



87 Grated carrots topped with six-minute eggs (run under cold water

until cool before peeling), olive oil and lemon juice.



88 Cut the top off four big tomatoes; scoop out the interiors and

mix them with toasted stale baguette or pita, olive oil, salt,

pepper and herbs (basil, tarragon, and/or parsley). Stuff into

tomatoes and serve with salad.



89 Pasta frittata: Turn cooked pasta and a little garlic into an

oiled or buttered skillet. Brown, pressing to create a cake. Flip,

then top with three or four beaten eggs and loads of Parmesan. Brown

other side and serve.



90 Thai-style beef: Thinly slice one and a half pounds of flank

steak, pork shoulder or boneless chicken; heat peanut oil in a

skillet, add meat and stir. A minute later, add a tablespoon minced

garlic and some red chili flakes. Add 30 clean basil leaves, a

quarter cup of water and a tablespoon or two of soy sauce or nam

pla. Serve with lime juice and more chili flakes, over rice or

salad.



91 Dredge calf's liver in flour. Sear in olive oil or butter or a

combination until crisp on both sides, adding salt and pepper as it

cooks; it should be medium-rare. Garnish with parsley and lemon

juice.



92 Rub not-too-thick pork or lamb chops with olive oil; sprinkle

with salt and pepper plus sage or thyme. Broil about three minutes a

side and drizzle with good balsamic vinegar.



93 Cut up Italian sausage into chunks and brown in a little olive

oil until just about done. Dump in a lot of seedless grapes and, if

you like, a little slivered garlic and chopped rosemary. Cook,

stirring, until the grapes are hot. Serve with bread.



94 Ketchup-braised tofu: Dredge large tofu cubes in flour. Brown in

oil; remove from skillet and wipe skillet clean. Add a little more

oil, then a tablespoon minced garlic; 30 seconds later, add one and

a half cups ketchup and the tofu. Cook until sauce bubbles and tofu

is hot.



95 Veggie burger: Drain and pour a 14-ounce can of beans into a food

processor with an onion, half a cup rolled oats, a tablespoon chili

powder or other spice mix, an egg, salt and pepper. Process until

mushy, then shape into burgers, adding a little liquid or oats as

necessary. Cook in oil about three minutes a side and serve.



96 A Roman classic: In lots of olive oil, lightly cook lots of

slivered garlic, with six or so anchovy fillets and a dried hot

chili or two. Dress pasta with this.



97 So-called Fettuccine Alfredo: Heat several tablespoons of butter

and about half a cup of cream in a large skillet just until the

cream starts to simmer. Add slightly undercooked fresh pasta to the

skillet, along with plenty of grated Parmesan. Cook over low heat,

tossing, until pasta is tender and hot.



98 Rub flank steak or chuck with curry or chili powder before

broiling or grilling, then slice thin across the grain.



99 Cook a couple of pounds of shrimp, shell on or off, in oil, with

lots of chopped garlic. When they turn pink, remove; deglaze the pan

with a half-cup or so of beer, along with a splash of Worcestershire

sauce, cayenne, rosemary and a lump of butter. Serve with bread.



100 Cook red lentils in water with a little cumin and chopped bacon

until soft. Top with poached or six-minute eggs (run under cold

water until cool before peeling) and a little sherry vinegar.



101 Hot dogs on buns �?with beans!