Spring Takeout for Dinner

You've come home from work, realizing you only have 30 minutes to prepare dinner. Before reaching for the phone to order takeout, reach for these two recipes for a quick-and-delicious dinner in a snap. The Tuna and Macaroni Puttanesca makes a great main course. Grab a handful of fresh greens from your garden or refrigerator, whisk up a simple vinaigrette of red-wine vinegar and olive oil, and you have a very simple salad. For dessert, what could be better than springtime Fruit Sundaes? Enjoy.

Tuna and Macaroni Puttanesca

SERVES 4

To cut preparation time for this dish, substitute two 6-ounce cans of oil-packed, Italian-style light tuna, drained and broken into small chunks.

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 medium garlic cloves, minced

2 medium red onions, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices

Coarse salt

8 jumbo pasta shells

4 whole plum tomatoes, seeded, sliced 1/4 inch thick lengthwise

3 tablespoons capers, drained

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted, cut into small dices

Freshly ground black pepper

8 ounces tuna fillet, cooked and broken into small chunks*

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 medium avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, and coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons cooking oil

3 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 medium cantaloupe, cut into wedges

1. Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions; cook until the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes.

2. Cover a large pot of salted water, and bring to a boil. Drop the shells into the boiling water, and stir to keep the shells from sticking together. Cook until al dente.

3. Meanwhile, add the tomatoes, capers, rosemary, and olives to the onions; season with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to medium high, and cook until the tomatoes are heated through, about 4 minutes.

4. Drain the shells, and transfer to a cooling rack. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the tuna, avocado, oil, lemon juice, chives, and mustard. Add the tomatoes to the tuna mixture, and combine. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the tuna salad mixture into each shell. Arrange 2 filled shells per serving with a cantaloupe wedge on each plate.

*Note: To cook the tuna fillet, rub the fish with cooking oil. Grill the fish on the rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium to medium-hot coals 8 to 12 minutes, turning once, until the fish just flakes with a fork. Remove the fish from the grill, and cool until ready to use in the above recipe.

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