No-Cook

This is one of the never-absent standard-bearers of the Greek meze table, a classic dish found from one corner of the country to the other, on almost every taverna and meze menu.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

If you really want to make this pimento cheese the way my mother does, and you happen to own a hand-crank meat grinder, run the two cheeses once through the fine blade of the grinder into a mixing bowl. Mother simply used to grind the pimentos with the cheeses, but now she prefers to mash them with a heavy fork on a plate until they break up into tiny pieces. She uses homemade mayonnaise but also endorses Hellmann's (a.k.a. Best Foods).

This recipe yields enough dressing for both the seafood salad and the rice .

If there is any "magic" to our cooking, it's in seasoning mixes such as this. With this mixture, we try to unmask the depth of flavor in our native seafood, not overpower it. We want every bite to display a full flavor profile, so we liberally sprinkle seasoning on the entire piece of fish. That means both sides. Make a decent-sized batch of this mixture so it will always be handy, then rub it or sprinkle it on the food. Remember, mixtures such as this cost very little to make yourself but quite a lot if you buy them at retail.

For this dish, fresh spring-summer zucchini are imperative. I use a 1-mm. food processor-blade as if it were a mandoline to hand-slice the tender zucchini. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Here's a unique no-cabbage slaw with a dressing that is spicy and a little sweet.

This recipe was created to accompany <epi:recipeLink id "11847">Grilled Teriyaki Pork Chops with Pineapple Papaya Relish</epi:recipeLink>.</a> Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

Store-bought sorbet with a special sauce combines with <epi: recipeLink="101753">Lemon Butter Cookies</epi:recipeLink> for a refreshing, sweet and tart treat.