A STASH OF STAPLE FOR FAST MEALS : WHEN IT COMES TO WEEKNIGHT DINING, TIME OFTEN DETERMINES QUALITY. BUT WHEN IT'S 7 P.M. AND YOU'RE HUNGRY, A SUPERMARKET CONVENIENCE PRODUCT CAN LOOK REALLY, REALLY GOOD. ADD A LITTLE CREATIVITY, AND THE RESULTS CAN LOOK AND TASTE REALLY GOOD AS WELL. HERE ARE SOME SECRET (TILL NOW) PRODUCTS AND THE STORIES THAT GO WITH THEM.

Byline: Chicago Tribune 

``Fresh'' is a watchword of the best cooks, but I couldn't survive a week without dried ingredients: dried pasta, dried chiles, rice, sun-dried tomatoes, etc. They suit my erratic cooking urges.

Dried mushrooms, sold in little cellophane bags, are a star staple. Pour some boiling water over their wizened forms, wait about 20 minutes, then rinse and chop before adding to risottos, pilafs, stir-fries or whatever other dish needs a flavor boost.

Speaking of flavor: The soaking liquid is where much of it resides; use it as part of the liquid in your recipe. (Run it through a coffee filter first to remove grit.)

The following dish ends up a brick-red color because of the mushroom liquid and the sun-dried tomatoes. If you have some leftover cooked chicken, stir it in near the end of cooking.

SOURCE: Andy Badeker

RISOTTO ROSSO

1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms, about 1 ounce

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed), about 1 ounce

2 cups boiling water

2 cans (13 3/4 ounces EACH) reduced-sodium chicken broth, heated

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup uncooked arborio rice

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme OR oregano 

1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Grated Parmesan cheese

Chopped parsley

Reconstitute mushrooms and tomatoes in separate small bowls by pouring 1 cup or so of boiling water over each. Soak 20 minutes or until softened (it is OK if tomatoes are a little stiff at this point). Drain tomatoes, reserving liquid and chop. Drain mushrooms, reserving liquid and rinse. Squeeze dry and chop.

Filter mushroom liquid to remove grit. Add mushroom and tomato liquids to chicken broth; there should be about 5 cups.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium heat in a 4-quart saucepan. When hot, add onion and garlic and cook until translucent, 1 minute. Add rice and cook, stirring, until rice is coated with oil and translucent, about 1 minute.

Add 1 cup heated broth; cook, stirring constantly. Add more broth in 1-cup additions as mixture thickens. When half of broth has been used, add mushrooms, tomatoes and thyme. Toward end of cooking rice, taste for consistency; it should be firm but not crunchy. You may not need all of the liquid.

Stir in wine, cook a few minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve topped with grated cheese and parsley to taste. Makes 4 servings.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING: 350 calories; 9 grams fat; 52 grams carbohydrates; 12 grams protein; 00 milligrams cholesterol; 435 milligrams sodium.

Artichokes, those green hand grenades with more detritus than edible flesh, always have held an exotic allure to a Midwestern boy.

The fresh ones are seasonal and tedious to prepare. But canned or frozen artichokes are available all year long to provide sophistication and an aura of ``California dreamin' '' to salads, stews and entrees.

When I see them on sale or at a fair price, I buy several containers to keep on hand.

Artichokes have the kind of warm background flavor that blends well with other flavors, mellowing the harsher ones and reinforcing those more subtle. They even work with fruits, though I've yet to try them with pineapples or mangoes.

The following light recipe can be thrown together at the last minute and can be made with any variety of ingredients, depending on what's available: asparagus, peppers, eggplant, mushrooms, etc. The artichokes provide the cachet.

SOURCE: Steven Pratt

PASTA WITH ARTICHOKE HEARTS

1 pound fusilli, farfalle OR other pasta

Water

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 stalk fennel, bulb and ribs cut in 3/4-inch chunks, green sprigs reserved

1 can (14 ounces) quartered artichoke hearts, drained OR 1 package (10 ounces) frozen

3/4 cup kalamata OR other black olives, sliced

1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes OR more to taste

Water

1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon granules (optional)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese to taste

Cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions or until al dente.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Cook onion, 1/2 of garlic and fennel bulb and ribs just until translucent. Add artichoke hearts, olives, hot pepper flakes, 2 tablespoons water, bouillon cubes, remaining garlic and lemon juice. Cook until thoroughly heated and saucy. Add more water if necessary.

Drain pasta; toss with vegetables. Add salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Garnish with reserved fennel sprigs. Makes 6 side-dish servings.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING: 195 calories; 5 grams fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 25 milligrams cholesterol; 300 milligrams sodium.

Nachos are my quick-fix when the cupboard's bare and time is pressed. But there are no nachos without salsa - and a trusty can of tomatoes delivers that key ingredient in a hurry.

The original recipe comes from Isabel Mercado, who moved to River Grove, Ill., from Mexico City. Isabel used fresh, ripe tomatoes.

My sister, Denise, adapted the recipe to use Italian-style canned tomatoes, and now they're a permanent fixture in my kitchen too. I part ways with them on the subject of garlic; the recipe from Mexico uses 1 teaspoon garlic salt. I use a garlic clove and salt to taste.

The salsa is great on a nachos platter: Layer it cold on tortilla chips covered with melted cheese, refried beans and guacamole (I mash an avocado with oil, salt and pepper to taste). This sauce also works warm, topped on a chicken breast.

SOURCE: Renee Enna

DENISABEL'S SALSA

1 can (28 ounces) Italian-style whole, plum tomatoes

2 jalapeno chiles, boiled 5 minutes, chopped (but not seeded), with 1 teaspoon reserved

1 small onion, chopped, with 1 teaspoon reserved

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt to taste

Place tomatoes in a saucepan; heat to boiling.

Put tomatoes and all remaining ingredients except for reserved jalapenos and onions in a blender or food processor. Pulse until blended. Stir in reserved onion and jalapenos.

Serve cold or warm. Makes 3 1/2 cups.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER 1/4 CUP SERVING: 15 calories; 0 grams fat; 4 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 95 milligrams sodium.

When my daughter was young, tuna casserole starred as a weekly staple. It was quick, easy (especially when I simply opened a can of soup to make the sauce - but don't tell anyone). She loved it. But once she was off to college, the tuna casserole seemed to disappear too.

But then a strange thing happened. Mom rediscovered tuna for herself. It's no longer the chunk light version in oil purchased in whatever brand was on sale that week. Now it is white albacore in spring water and its taste is as different from that old tuna as baby-food custard is from creme brulee.

And instead of noodles, I now use fettuccine or fusilli, penne or rotini. And the skimpy frozen peas that once mixed with the tuna, have become a bounty of any fresh vegetable that's handy. Asparagus, broccoli, zucchini or spinach are favorites.

As for the sauce, it no longer is a kind of library paste. As often as not, it can be a reduced chicken broth flavored with herbs. Or, if it is creaminess I have a hankering for, it will be made with 2 percent milk or nonfat milk and just a touch of flour for thickening.

Here is one likely version of my quick, weeknight tuna concoction.

SOURCE: Carol Mighton Haddix

NEW TUNA CASSEROLE

Boiling water for pasta

1/2 pound fusilli OR fettuccine

1 tablespoon butter OR olive oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1 can (6 ounces) white albacore tuna

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon OR other herbs, such as dill OR thyme to taste

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 small head broccoli, separated into florets, cooked to almost tender

1 cup any combination of other cooked, sliced vegetables, such as zucchini, red OR yellow peppers, spinach OR mushrooms

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat water to a boil in a large pot. Add pasta; cook until tender, according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat butter in a large skillet. Add onion; cook until tender, about 2 minutes. (For a thicker sauce, add 1 heaping teaspoon flour; cook 1 minute.) Add tuna, broth, herbs, salt and pepper. Cook 5 minutes over medium heat. Add vegetables.

Drain pasta; return to pot. Pour broth and vegetables over. Toss lightly to coat. Pour into a large serving bowl. Serve with cheese. Makes 4 servings.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING: 330 calories; 5 grams fat; 50 grams carbohydrates; 22 grams protein; 20 milligrams cholesterol; 405 milligrams sodium.

Duck fat offers partial proof that I'm not exactly normal. Foodwise, anyway.

When asked to name my favorite, can't-live-without-it staple, I kept insisting it's the little container of duck fat that has permanent residence in my freezer. My reasoning is along the lines of ``a little dab will do ya.'' Vegetable gumbo, thrown together in minutes, with whatever, sings when the base is a little of the demon duck fat. Potatoes and onions border on sublime. Ditto for simple pasta and rice dishes.

The response from colleagues was along the lines of ``get real.'' Defeated, I dug behind the duck fat and found the other constants in the freezer. There's always an array of pastas, and gnocchi has recently become the favored among them, supplanting the tortellini.

These little potato dumplings have all sorts of assets, with quick being high on the list.

As to how I cook them, I'm fixated on a dish served at La Rampa, a restaurant in Rome that's just off the Spanish Steps. There, gnocchi is served in a pool of creamy gorgonzola sauce that's so good it's hard not to get rhapsodic. I can't be that indulgent for weeknight meals, so the amounts of cream and cheese have been reduced. I add some vegetables to the mix, too, creating a one-dish meal.

SOURCE: Pat Dailey

GNOCCHI WITH SPINACH, PEPPERS AND GORGONZOLA

Water

1 package (12 ounces) frozen gnocchi

1 tablespoon chile oil OR olive oil and 1 large pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 small onion, diced

1 small red bell pepper, diced

1 cup packed baby spinach leaves

2 teaspoons minced fresh herbs, preferably a mix, such as rosemary, chives and thyme

2 tablespoons EACH whipping cream and crumbled gorgonzola cheese

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Heat a pan of water to boiling. Add gnocchi and cook until they rise to top of water, 4 to 6 minutes.

While gnocchi are cooking, heat chile oil with crushed pepper flakes in a large skillet over high heat. Add onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring often, until charred, 5 minutes.

Drain gnocchi and add to skillet along with spinach and herbs. Cook until spinach wilts, 1 minute. Add cream and cheese, stir to combine and remove from heat. Add salt and pepper. Makes 2 servings.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING: 410 calories; 27 grams fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 35 grams protein; 60 milligrams cholesterol; 285 milligrams sodium.

Very few dietary ronouncements make me happy. But when the news went forth that we should eat more ``pulses'' (as dried beans and peas are known in nutritionland), I was delighted.

My bean fetish began early. My father was a native of Boston, so molasses- and pork-enriched baked beans were a weekly fixture in my childhood diet. A stay in Puerto Rico introduced me to turtle beans and the addictive combination of black beans and rice. In France, I discovered that delicate-looking, gray-green flageolets are the perfect companion to garlic-flavored roast lamb. In Italy, I quickly fell in love with the big, white, meaty beans called cannellini that are served plain or used to give body to a soup, stew or salad.

Back home, I made the useful and time-saving discovery that these canned beans, when drained, rinsed and combined with olive oil or broth, herbs and other flavorings, are very acceptable, even delicious.

Talk about convenience. The beans heat in less time than it takes to set a table. When time presses, I use them to accompany a steak or chicken breast or in quick and satisfying preparations such as the accompanying one.

SOURCE: William Rice

WHITE BEANS WITH ESCAROLE 

3 tablespoons olive oil, extra-virgin preferred

2 cloves garlic, slivered OR coarsely chopped

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 small head escarole, torn into bite-size pieces

Water

1 can (19 ounces) white beans, Italian cannellini (white kidney) preferred, drained and rinsed

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice OR to taste

Heat oil with garlic and red pepper flakes over medium-low heat in a high-sided pan or casserole until garlic turns golden, about 3 minutes. Add escarole and 1/4 cup water; increase heat to medium-high. Stir to coat leaves with oil; cover.

Cook until escarole has softened, stirring once, about 4 minutes. Add beans, stir, reduce heat to medium, cover pan and heat beans only until warmed through, 4 to 5 minutes.

Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Portion into bowls or onto plates and serve. Makes 2 servings.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING: 535 calories; 22 grams fat; 67 grams carbohydrates; 22 grams protein; 00 milligrams cholesterol; 60 milligrams sodium.

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Photo: (color) Crushed tomatoes, white beans, artichoke hea rts, pasta and tuna are just a few pantry staples that can be the start of a meal.

Bob Fila/Chicago Tribune