Quick & Easy

María A. Alvarado-Gómez of Erie, Pennsylvania, writes: "I came to the United States as an exchange student, after spending the first 18 years of my life in Mérida, Yucatán. On school vacations I would go home and cook with my mother and sisters so that I wouldn't lose my touch. My mother was a skilled cook, and I was lucky to have learned at her side. Her food was so popular in our neighborhood that she sold portions of our daily meals to other families. With nine well-fed kids, she said we were her best advertisement. "I still take great pride in the food of my homeland. Yucatecan cuisine is known for its Mayan influence, and the essential ingredients we use — limes, spices, avocados, tomatoes, peppers — make for wonderful flavors. Now that ground spices are readily available and vegetables can be quickly chopped in a food processor, preparing traditional Mexican dishes is easier than ever." This dish is the Yucatecan version of huevos rancheros.

We like serving these chewy, moist almond cakes, which are based on the financier, a French pastry, in individual gratin dishes, but the batter can also be baked in a 9-inch glass pie plate for 30 to 35 minutes.

This syrup is good to have on hand for making sorbets and certain cocktails. A plus: It keeps for a long time.

Round this out with warm pita bread, rice and carrot pilaf, and some plain yogurt. Mint tea and pistachio baklava are a great finish. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

(Apricot Almond Cake) Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Kalmi Shaak Following Bengali tradition, Chitrita Banerji's mother presented this vegetable dish as a first course — delicate yet spicy, it gets the appetite going. But you could serve it as a side dish with the mung beans and the eggplant fritters. The original recipe called for mustard oil, but because it's so hard to find an FDA-approved brand — many bottles are labeled "for massage only," though Indians find that they're fine to cook with — we have substituted vegetable oil.

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 30 min

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This simple union of two splendid regional specialties is eaten throughout Emilia-Romagna.

An especially easy baking powder version of the traditional yeast-leavened cornmeal and molasses bread. We've used buttermilk instead of water to give the loaf moistness and tang.

Serve this with chicken salad.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Perfect as a topper for steaks, burgers, pork chops, hot dogs and fries. For even more flavor, try brushing the tangy ketchup onto the meat during grilling. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.