Tantalizing Italian meal is ready to serve in under an hour

CONCORD, N.H. -- When it comes to easy and inexpensive entertaining, it's hard to beat rustic Italian cooking.

This is where simple ingredients such as pasta, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil shine effortlessly. Taste buds are tantalized more from vibrant ingredients than time-consuming techniques.

My wife and I entertain at least once a week, often at the end of already long work days. That's why we place a premium on ease of preparation that leaves us with more time and energy to enjoy our guests.

We recently had six friends over on a Tuesday evening, giving us about an hour from the time we got home until the first arrivals. Dinner doesn't need to be on the table by then, but I like to have it well under way.

The following meal plan feeds eight, for a total cost of about $50, not including wine. This dinner does best with a lush Chianti, which need not cost a fortune. Many good bottles can be had for under $10.

Start with appetizers. Try as you might to divert traffic elsewhere, everyone will end up in the kitchen. Surrender to this and be sure to keep your guests munching. But if my attention is on dinner, I don't have time to make fancy appetizers.

So, keep it simple. We pile small slices of fresh bread on a plate around a mound of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 3/4 pound) that has been broken into bite-sized chunks. This cheese is so tangy, a little goes far.

For those who don't do dairy, we also set out a couple of saucers of extra-virgin olive oil for dipping the bread. We like to sprinkle a bit of salt in one and some freshly ground black pepper in the other.

For the meal, I think in threes: a bread, a salad and a main dish. And since the goal is to maximize my time out of the kitchen, I time things so that all are on the table at once.

For the salad, buy about 1/2 pound of mixed greens. Arrange these in a large salad bowl. Soak 1/2 cup of golden raisins in warm water until soft, about 10 minutes. Drain and scatter over the salad.

Using a vegetable peeler, shave a carrot over the salad. Dice several scallions (whites and greens) and add those. In a small skillet, dry-roast 1 cup of walnut pieces over a low flame until fragrant, about 4 minutes. Let cool and add to salad.

For a dressing, offer extra-virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar at the table; or combine 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/8 cup cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons all-fruit strawberry jam, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in a blender and emulsify. Toss with the salad just before serving.

For bread, crostini are the way to go. These crunchy rounds are easy, tasty and satisfying. Buy a fresh baguette (about 1 1/2 feet long) and slice it into thin rounds. Arrange the rounds on a baking sheet, then drizzle with olive oil.

Bake the rounds at 400 F for about 5 minutes, or until just crunchy. Top each piece with diced tomato that has been tossed with balsamic vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper.

For the main dish, consider an amazingly easy, rustic pasta dish. Among the many beauties of pasta is its price. For this dinner I bought 2 pounds of good-quality dry linguini for just $2 at my local grocer.

Try pasta with garlic, oil and hot red pepper from Jo Bettoja's "In a Roman Kitchen" (Wiley, 2003, $34.95), which can be prepared in about 15 minutes. To jazz it up, just before serving add 1 cup of diced sundried tomatoes (oil-packed variety) or fresh basil leaves.

For dessert, we diverge from the Italian theme, but no one seems to mind. My wife discovered a wonderful recipe for roasted bananas with brown sugar-walnut glaze in the September 1997 issue of Cooking Light magazine.

The best part about this meal is that it can be pulled together in under an hour (including time for you to munch on some cheese and drink some wine), and that gets you out of the kitchen.

Both recipes have been adjusted to feed eight.

Pasta with Garlic, Oil and Hot Red Pepper

(Preparation 15 minutes)

2 pounds spaghetti or linguini

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

8 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

2 dried peperoncini, or crushed red pepper flakes to taste

5 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a skillet large enough to accommodate the pasta. Add the garlic and peperoncini or crushed red pepper flakes and cook over a medium flame until the garlic just begins to brown, about 2 to 3 minutes.

When the pasta is ready, drain it and add it to the skillet. Mix thoroughly while adding the parsley. Serve at once.

Makes 8 servings.

Roasted Bananas with Brown Sugar- Walnut Glaze

(Preparation 15 minutes)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

3 tablespoons reduced-calorie margarine, melted (or soy alternative)

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 large firm ripe bananas (about 2 pounds)

Cooking spray or vegetable oil

1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

2 cups vanilla low-fat frozen yogurt (or soy alternative)

Preheat the oven to 450 F.

Combine the brown sugar, lemon juice, melted margarine and cinnamon in a bowl and set aside.

Peel the bananas and cut them in half lengthwise. Place banana halves, cut sides up, on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray or lightly brushed with oil. Bake the bananas for 4 minutes.

Drizzle sugar mixture evenly over banana halves, and sprinkle with toasted walnuts. Bake for an additional 3 minutes. Cut each banana piece into thirds crosswise. Serve bananas with frozen yogurt. Drizzle with any remaining sugar mixture.

Makes 8 servings (serving size 4 banana pieces and 1/4 cup frozen yogurt).