Tuna

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 30 min

Here's an all-new tuna-noodle casserole; just add a salad of arugula and sliced oranges. Dessert might be big spice cookies sandwiched with vanilla ice cream.

Wasabi powder is fiery-hot, so adjust the proportion in the butter according to your heat tolerance. An Asian noodle salad from the deli, blanched sugar snap peas sprinkled with sesame seeds, and a bakery lime tart would be cooling additions to the menu.

A sophisticated, Spanish-style salad.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Gaze at rings on your left hand. Remember how, when you were single in New York and men made rude remarks to you on the street, you'd dream about the day your boyfriend would put an engagement ring on your finger. Those trips with your friend, Megan, to Tiffany's—how the diamonds sparkled under glass. And so, my friend, it comes to this: Orientalish pasta salad for the kabillionth time.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. This is traditionally served with sliced cold veal, but we also like it with turkey or as a dip for vegetables.

Both easy and inexpensive, tuna-noodle casserole stretched proteins and carbohydrates to the limits and fed at least a generation of American kids very well. Canned tuna will never go away, but fresh tuna has joined it as a culinary staple, and it stars in this deconstructed version of the classic. All the elements that make tuna casserole so appealing and comforting are here, just slightly rearranged. And there’s no need to serve this on a cafeteria tray: It’s good enough for your best china.

Serve with Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc.

This light and lovely main course comes from executive chef Jeff Tunks at the acclaimed DC Coast in Washington, D.C.

Save time by using vacuum-sealed pouches of tuna, which don't need to be drained.

Auruduci is the Sicilian way of saying agro-dolce, or "sweet-and-sour." This is definitely not the type of sweet-and-sour dish you find in Chinese restaurants. It is a wonderful, subtle recipe that shows off the number one fish in Sicily — tuna. This could be my favorite of the many Sicilian tuna recipes I've encountered over the years. You have to make it with fresh tuna, and always remember to serve it rare — never overcook it.