phaeton wrote:

> So I ask, what are some simple yet effective meal ideas that you enjoy
> or have enjoyed, or employed when time was scarce? Thanks for any
> input.

When I'm in a hurry, but not only in that situation, I usually resorto to a
basic pasta sauce that can be a base for many other recipes.
Put a pan of water over high heat, then start your sauce like this: put some
EVO oil in a large skillet, add 2 peeled and sliced garlic cloves, let the
garlic get golden and then add a glass of canned/jarred tomato sauce and a
pinch of salt and let it go for 5 minutes or so, maybe add a fresh herb
(parsley or basil or oregano) at the last minute. When the water boils put
the pasta in, cook and drain it and move it to the skillet where your sauce
is. The sauce should be already cooked by the time pasta gets cooked. stir
pasta and sauce mixing them over high heat for 30 seconds and serve. If you
want a tastier dish, just drain pasta 2 minutes before cooked and make it
pass those last 2 minutes with the dressing, stirring it quickly on medium
high heat.

It's easy and good, and lots of room for customisation too: one can use
onion or put some bacon/pancetta to cook with the garlic, or maybe mussels
or clams or anchovies, or a shredded sausage, in this case you need to let
it cook longer than the garlic takes, so if using fresh sausage the sauce
cooking time grows up to circa 20 minutes. Other ingredients that fit in
well are minced olives, capers, hot peppers... there's almost no limit to
the modifications one can do on this very basic recipe, one could even use
butter or lard instead of EVO oil.
You can even substitute a real tomato instead of canned/jarred sauce, it
takes less than 2 minutes to wash and dice a tomato. Spices can get in it,
too, like freshly ground black and/or white pepper or even saffron, and the
same goes for grated cheeses. Just try putting in the ingredients you like,
see what suits you well and go on experimenting.

I must have started a sauce this way a thousand times, and many of the times
I just had it plain, simply EVO oil, garlic, tomato and a pinch of salt.
--
Vilco
Mai guardare Trailer park Boys senza
qualcosa da bere a portata di mano