Frozen ravioli is a short-cut to tasty dinner in minutes

It always seems there can't be a busier month than December. Then June arrives and slam! All those baby and bridal showers, weddings, and graduations plus a slew of end-of-year concerts, sports banquets and awards ceremonies. And somehow, you are still expected to get dinner on the table.

This is when it pays for every home cook to have a trick or two up his or her sleeve, which means having some strategic staples on hand for no-brainer cooking.

One great convenience food is a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket. The meat from that chicken, used as an ingredient not an as-is meal can be turned almost instantly into rather fabulous dinners.

A second go-to convenience food is frozen ravioli. Have some of these babies in your freezer and you'll never worry about getting dinner on the table again.

Below is a dish of ravioli fit for company. Ravioli with arugula & pecorino is from EatingWell Fast & Flavorful Meatless Meals," (Countryman Press, 2011) by Jessie Price and the editors of the award-winning EatingWell magazine. Emphasis in this book is on the fast and flavorful; unless you are a vegetarian, you probably won't notice that the recipes are meatless.

Here are some other quick ideas from various sources:

• Devin Alexander's "Ravio-Sagne": Coat the bottom of a baking pan with 1⁄2 cup of tomato sauce. Layer one-third of a 25-ounce package of frozen cheese ravioli, 2⁄3 cup of grated low-fat mozzarella and a generous sprinkling of shredded basil on top. Repeat twice. Cover with foil and bake at 400 F for 40 minutes.

• Fried ravioli: Parboil frozen cheese ravioli. Drain well. Dip in beaten egg, then dredge in seasoned breadcrumbs. Fry in butter or olive oil. I like these with some frizzled (fried) fresh sage leaves and a dusting of cheese. You could also serve them with tomato sauce for dipping. I found this in my recipe box, labeled "St. Louis Style Ravioli" with no attribution. Apologies to the long-lost Missouri cook who gave it to me.

• Ravioli soup: Saute an onion and some garlic in a pot. Add carrots and bell peppers and saute a few minutes. Pour in 4 cups stock (chicken or vegetable) and a 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes (chop them first) and their juices. Heat to a simmer. Add 9 ounces frozen cheese or meat ravioli and cook until tender. Serve with grated cheese. You can also add diced zucchini and/or peas when you add the ravioli. Adapted from EatingWell.com.

• Grilled ravioli (I haven't tried this, but it comes from a grill-crazy friend and sounds like it has potential): Dip ravioli in boiling water for about a minute, so they are just soft enough to thread on a skewer. Brush with melted butter or olive oil and grill. Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve.

RAVIOLI WITH ARUGULA & PECORINO

1 pound fresh or frozen cheese ravioli, preferably whole-wheat

1 large clove garlic, peeled and minced

1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt

1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 large shallots, peeled and sliced

3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

freshly ground pepper to taste

6 cups arugula

1⁄2 cup shaved Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook ravioli until tender, 7 to 9 minutes or according to package directions.

Meanwhile, mash garlic and salt into a paste with the side of a chef's knife or back of a spoon. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic paste and shallots and cook, stirring often, until just starting to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in vinegar, mustard and pepper; remove from heat.

Drain the ravioli well. Place in a large bowl and toss with arugula and the dressing. Serve sprinkled with cheese.

Yield: 4 servings

• Marialisa Calta is the author of "Barbarians at the Plate: Taming and Feeding the American Family" (Perigee, 2005). www.marialisacalta.com