Spaghetti

Americans enjoyed most of the food at the scores of Italian restaurants that opened in the twenties, but they couldn't understand the appeal of spaghetti and tomato sauce: Where was the meat? To accommodate, the restaurants began to top the pasta with meatballs. This recipe takes the dish a step further by adding the Sicilian flavors of pine nuts and currants.

Called "French pasta" at the restaurant, this Provençal-style special (using no butter and a minimum of oil) is typical of Méteigner's light French fare.

The dressing can also be used for Chinese chicken salad or as a basting sauce for grilled steaks or chops. Look for rice vinegar in the Asian foods section of the supermarket.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

I appreciate a good lasagne but hate the work and time involved — precooking the noodles, layering the dish, and baking it for an hour. So I came up with this uncomplicated spaghetti recipe which combines all the elements of a good lasagne without the trouble.

Cooked meatballs can be purchased at many supermarket deli or meat departments. They make this dinner a snap to pull together. Toss a salad, then tuck chocolate wafers into scoops of orange sorbet for dessert.

Crusty bread, an arugula and endive salad with balsamic dressing, and lemon sorbet with chocolate-dipped biscotti turn this simple Italian dinner into a special one.

Cacio e Pepe For this recipe, you need to grate the cheese with the ragged-edged holes of a box grater for ease of melting. Don't use the small teardrop-shaped holes or a rasp, as your cheese will clump up in the bowl.

The secret to this Chinese favorite is not to let the noodles sit in the sauce very long — toss them together a few seconds before serving.

Spaghetti stands in for rice in this version of the Spanish favorite.

If you love spaghetti and meatballs, then you'll love this upmarket rendition featuring perciatelli-long, hollow pasta. The noodles are topped with a rich tomato and porcini mushroom sauce, and meatballs made with ground veal, Italian sausage and more porcini. Start things off with an antipasto platter of olive, assorted marinated vegetables and cured meats. Offer breadsticks alongside, and pour a full-bodied Chianti.

This pasta dish originated in the region of Lazio, not Tuscany. However, it is popular throughout Italy — and America — today.

(SPAGHETTI ALLA CHIUMMENZANA) This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. To eat this dish the Caprese way, serve the pasta very al dente.

Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 40 min

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.