Sear

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

When dinner is just for two, why not splurge on veal chops? Accompany this sophisticated entrée with roasted potatoes and sautéed or steamed green beans.

Creamed spinach and baked sweet potatoes drizzled with maple syrup make good partners for these crispy cutlets. Top vanilla frozen yogurt with fudge sauce and a few raspberries for dessert.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Adobo means spice rub or marinade, and this particular recipe was introduced by African slaves and brought to Bahía in Brazil in the 17th century. I think that it gives tuna a new and exciting dimension. There is spiciness in the dish, as would be expected from an adobo. To provide the American palate a little relief from the heat, the tuna is served on a bed of lightly pickled cucumbers.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

In many instances, boneless skinless chicken breasts are sold with "tenders" (the small fillet strip containing the white tendon on the underside of each breast half) still attached. If that is the case, simply put each chicken breast—skinned side down—on a work surface, pull off the tenders, and reserve them for other use.

Massimo's Aunt Enza has played an important role in my life as a born-again Tuscan. We often dine at her home on Sunday, for a traditional family lunch, prefaced by Enza's statement that she hasn't prepared anything. This means that there's nothing new on the table and that we're in for our usual treat of a Florentine meal. The main course will probably be what Enza calls magro, literally lean or fatless, a choice cut of beef used for roast beef, sliced thin, lightly sauced with meat juices, topped with whole brown cloves of garlic. Since Italian home cooks in the city rarely had ovens, meat is often roasted on the top of the stove. It's faster than oven-roasting, perfect for those who love rare roast beef. Turning the meat is the hardest part.

In this dish, the richness of the venison is balanced by the sweet-tart fruit compote.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Steamed baby yellow squash and rice pilaf studded with bits of pimiento would look pretty with the scallops. End the meal with a plate of petits fours or fancy cookies and some fresh berries.