Leafy Greens

When garlic is cooked very slowly in olive oil, the result is two delicious ingredients — soft roasted garlic and garlic oil — that give this soup an Italian feel and great flavor.

Burricotti are superb whole-milk mozzarella rounds filled with ricotta (see box). Fresh ricotta also works well in this recipe, which would be a great cheese course, or a simple dessert.

This soup features the flavors of India: aromatic nigella seeds, curry powder, curry leaves, and cumin seeds.

George Hendrix of Carbondale, Colorado, writes: "My family is usually in a hurry to eat, so dinner has to be on the table fast. This soup was one of my mom's standbys when I was growing up. I often make it in big batches and just ladle it out and microwave as needed." This soup is even better the day after it's made, when the flavors have had a chance to mellow.

Top with chopped fresh cilantro, red onions, and grated cheddar cheese, if you like.

If you can't find burrata, substitute fresh whole-milk mozzarella.

Tossed in a fabulous country-style dressing, these bitter greens are a wonderful counterpoint to a hearty main course.

Straccetti di Manzo Generations of Roman cooks have relied on this trattoria favorite — made with classic ingredients — for dinner in a hurry.

It's impossible to overstate just how well the ingredients come together in this beautiful salad. The textural contrast of juicy ripe oranges and crisp endives is enhanced by a surprisingly complex vinaigrette containing sweet, spicy, and smoky flavors.

This vegetarian main course is hearty, healthy, and delicious.

Using prepared pizza dough, you can make these homemade cheese-filled calzones just as fast as your favorite pizzeria could deliver them.

Better than anything you can get at your local takeout joint, this way of making the Chinese classic can be done in record time.

The simplicity of this pasta dish lets the escarole shine. Excellent as an entrée or as a first course served before roasted chicken or beef.

Poaching fish in olive oil — a popular restaurant technique — is surprisingly easy and well suited to every-night cooking.

Parmigiano-Reggiano enriches canned broth for a quick, hot, and truly delicious meal in a bowl.

Wrapped with bacon, these delicious fillets self-baste during broiling, eliminating the need for a sauce.