Green Bean

This lovely side can be made a day ahead.

When a generous garnish of pesto gets stirred in, the soup turns a vibrant green and becomes perfumed with the intense and sweet aroma of basil mixed with garlic.

This recipe offers a prime example of cooking à la minute because the entire dish can be prepared and executed very quickly. (It also uses few enough ingredients that you could purchase all of them in the express lane of your local supermarket on the way home from work.) After sautéeing the halibut, the fish is removed from the pan, which is then deglazed with white wine and fresh lemon juice. Butter is swirled in gradually to yield a rich, flavorful sauce — punctuated by scallions, capers, and diced tomato — that is simply poured over the fish; its pleasing citric acidity and buttery richness make it a perfect foil for the halibut.

Transporting this dish is easy: Stack the fillet slices together and wrap them in plastic wrap; pack the arugula, onions, beans, and dressing in separate containers. Then toss everything together just before serving.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 1 hr.

Spoon this over rice noodles or linguine, and have a crisp coleslaw of bean sprouts, shredded cabbage and slivered red bell pepper alongside. To finish, drizzle white rum over fresh pineapple and banana chunks. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

A lime and soy dipping sauce accompanies this appetizer from A Pacific Cafe in Kapaa, on the Hawaiian Island of Kauai.

It wouldn't be Christmas without some red and green on the table.

"Many of the everyday dishes I made when I was raising my daughters are recipes I learned from my mother while I was growing up in the suburbs of Paris," writes Fanny Carroll of Eugene, Oregon. "She was quite a cook, and with a husband and seven kids to feed, everything had to be fast."

Active time: 2 hr Start to finish: 3 1/2 hr (includes making stock)

Gaeng Pah Muu Most curries from southern Thailand use coconut milk. This one, from the mountainous north, doesn't, because the climate is too temperate for coconut palms to survive. Don't be intimidated by the start-to-finish time; the curry paste and chicken stock can be made days ahead. Once you have those components at hand, the recipe only takes about 1 hour to put together. If you prefer your food less spicy, use the smaller amounts of curry paste and vegetable oil. Active time: 3 1/4 hr Start to finish: 7 1/4 hr (includes making curry paste and stock)

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.