Steak

Take-out sushi is the ideal starter for this meal, and purchased sesame noodles sprinkled with chopped peanuts go perfectly with the main course. Serving mini-scoops of refreshing fruit sorbets — like lemon, peach and boysenberry — with fortune cookies would be a really cool finish.

The secrets of a great cheese steak are the quality of the ingredients and the thinness of the raw beef. The beef is best cut into paper-thin slices on an electric slicer. If an electric slicer is out of the question (many home kitchen stores sell these small machines inexpensively), try our method below to achieve similar results.

Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 1 hr

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

(Bistecca ai Ferri con Rucola e Parmigiano) Bistecca ai ferri (beefsteak grilled over the fire) is sometimes called bistecca alla fiorentina; it is the signature dish of Florence, but the people of Cortona, in eastern Tuscany, also claim it as theirs. No matter where it's from, grilled steak is perhaps the most classic and luxurious Tuscan beef dish. Any succulent, thick-cut steak will do, although Tuscan chefs prefer porterhouse or T-bone, especially from their local Chianina cows. The meat is coated in oil and garlic, then grilled and served on a bed of arugula with lemon wedges and shaved Parmesan. Use only genuine Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese; a vegetable peeler makes it easy to shave thin, curling strips.

These sandwiches can be wrapped in foil for easy transport. Bring along some olives for nibbling and bottles of mineral water or a thermos of iced tea for drinking.

"Years ago, I was working on a client at my hair salon when we realized that our conversations always led to food," writes Sandy Ercolano of Ridgewood, New Jersey. "She happened to be taking classes at a local cooking school and suggested that I come along. After one class, I was hooked. Now, in addition to running the salon, I’m an instructor at that same school." In this recipe the steak is broiled, but you can also grill it on your barbecue (over a medium-hot fire).

If the four-inch tortillas used at Café Iguana in Denver, Colorado, are hard to find, the standard five- to six-inch ones also work, or they can be trimmed to the smaller size.

Ask your butcher to bone the veal for you. Start marinating it a day ahead.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. Gremolata, an Italian garnish traditionally made with minced fresh parsley, garlic, and lemon zest and served with osso buco, adds a fresh flavor to grilled meats. For a slightly different taste, we've used orange zest.

For this rustic French meal, start with mixed greens dressed with lemon vinaigrette; serve new potatoes tossed in butter and parsley with the beef; and end with plum tarts topped with whipped cream. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Try tucking this simple make-ahead salad into pita bread halves and adding some ruffly-edged lettuce for color.

Here’s a great way to use leftover grilled steak. The arugula adds a peppery finish.

Sweet cherry tomatoes make an easy appetizer. What to drink: Top off glasses of cold lemonade with a splash of bourbon, and garnish with fresh mint sprigs. For wine drinkers, offer a California Pinot Noir.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Cooks wanting to prepare these kebabs in advance may let them marinate for up to 4 hours. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.