Quick and Easy Recipes for Harried Authors (and others)

Confession: In an earlier life, I used to write a weekly cooking column. This was the fun part of my job, since I actually like to cook. However, at times there are just too many other things going on in your life. Like looming deadlines.

These are recipes for the harried author (or anyone else) whose family insists on eating dinner when she doesn’t have time to cook and nobody can face another slice of pizza.

The first step in these recipes is to put on the water for the pasta. By the time the water has boiled and the pasta is cooked, these sauces are done. Serve with a large bowl of salad—from a bag, with bottled dressing, to minimize preparation time. And if a pound of pasta is too much for you and yours, well, tomorrow you stick the leftovers in the microwave, and voilà! Dinner is served again.

Note that you don't really have to do the cooking. All of these are well within the abilities of spouses, significant others, and any child big enough to use a knife and lift up the pasta pot. 

Peppers and cream

3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup onions, diced
1 cup green peppers, diced
1 cup red peppers, diced
1 cup yellow peppers, diced (If you can’t get yellow, use more red)
salt, pepper
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 pound pasta shells or other pasta
2 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional)
grated parmesan

In a large frying pan, sauté the onion in the butter and oil over medium heat until pale gold. Add the peppers, raise the heat slightly, and cook until tender, stirring from time to time. Add salt and pepper and the cream. Turn up the heat and cook till the cream reduces a bit. Toss with cooked pasta, sprinkle with parsley and grated cheese, and serve.

This is also a delicious sauce for plain chicken breasts or veal.

Zucchini and carrot sauce

2 cups grated carrots
2 cups grated zucchini
4 tablespoons melted butter (or more)
½ cup grated parmesan (plus additional)
1 pound thin pasta or noodles

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the pasta or noodles. Two minutes before the noodles are done, drop in the carrots and cook for about a minute. Add the zucchini and cook for about half a minute more or to taste. Drain, toss with the butter and grated cheese.

Note that this is even easier if you have a food processor to do the grating.

Spinach Sauce

1 pound fresh baby spinach or a 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup grated parmesan
1 cup (8 ounces) ricotta (or cottage cheese)
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
salt, pepper

Thaw the spinach if frozen. Sauté the onion in the butter until soft. Add the spinach, and cook to evaporate any excess moisture. Remove from the heat and stir in the parmesan, ricotta, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Makes enough for a pound of pasta.