Quick Fixes Even A Restaurant Critic Faces Kitchen Desperation. Here Are A Few Of Her Make-It-In-Minutes Favorites.

As this newspaper’s restaurant reviewer, I spend my days thinking about food, writing about food, savoring and dissecting dishes, then dreaming up different ways of saying “yummy” or “yucky.”

You’d think that after being surrounded by all these incredible edibles, getting dinner on the table would be a piece of cake, right?

Wrong.

Like most working stiffs, I regularly come down with a case of the 6 o’clock chills — that early-evening dread of making a meal when the cupboards are nearly bare and I’m too tired to troll through the aisles at the grocery store looking for inspiration.

That’s when I fall back on my desperation dinners, meals created in a hurry from nothing special. These quick fixes are hardly gourmet, but they sure beat standing in front of the fridge eating out of a container of leftover Chinese.

Besides, I buy into that “Leave it to Beaver”-esque malarkey about sitting down to dinner with the family. With the TV off.

So, over the years, I’ve developed a repertoire of make-it-in-minutes dishes that don’t really require a recipe.

That’s not to say I haven’t worshipped at the throne of the quick-cooking queens, including Marian Burros — whose “20-Minute Menus” (Simon and Schuster, 1989) offers game plans and shopping lists — and Rozanne Gold, who comes up with flavorful, sophisticated dishes using just three ingredients.

“Part of the pleasure of cooking and eating has always been the planning,” Gold said in a recent phone interview from her Manhattan office. “When people had more time they fantasized about what they were going to have for dinner. Unfortunately, planning has become pretty perfunctory and that’s part of the problem people have with cooking every night.”

Her streamlined approach works by building a dish from a few high-quality elements.

“I might find a piece of salmon that looks great and then think of a couple of ingredients to enhance that,” said Gold, whose latest book is “Entertaining 1-2-3” (Little, Brown & Co., 1999).

While everyone loves the idea of cooking from scratch, it’s just not always practical, so my quickie dinners usually require a can opener. But we’re not talking cream of mushroom soup here. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that, especially if you’re making green bean casserole with those crunchy onions on top.)

One of my favorite creations was inspired by a can of salsa verde (tomatillo sauce) I unearthed from the depths of my cupboard.

I painted that slightly spicy green stuff on a corn tortilla, threw on some shredded cheddar and canned chicken breast meat and then continued layering - like a Mexican lasagna. Twenty minutes in the oven and bingo, it’s la cena. (That means “dinner” in Spanish, gringo.)

It does help to have a penchant for collecting interesting ingredients. I try to keep a supply of Ro-tel tomatoes and chilies on hand for my black bean stew (combine cans of tomatoes and beans with some chopped onions and enough water to make it soupy, and simmer to blend the flavors; top each bowl with crushed tortilla chips). Other staples include coconut milk for Thai curry and artichoke hearts packed in water for my pain-free pasta.

That dish is a more elaborate version of the classic pasta al’olio - noodles tossed with garlicky olive oil.

I saute chopped garlic in olive oil, then add the drained artichoke hearts and some white wine. Reduce that by letting it boil rapidly for a few minutes and toss with any kind of cooked pasta. Depending on what I have sitting around, I might doll it up with crumbled feta cheese or toasted pine nuts, maybe some diced sun-dried tomatoes.

I also use Ro-tel in my practically fat-free Southwestern yams. Unlike baked potatoes, yams cook up wonderfully in the microwave. Their creamy orange flesh pairs perfectly with a topping of sauteed onions, black beans and the spicy tomatoes. Finish it off with a dollop of yogurt and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Most people think of stir-fries as quick dinners, but making them work usually involves a whole lot of chopping and at least 20 minutes for the rice to cook. That’s why couscous is my starch of choice after a busy day. Boil water or stock and dump in some of that teeny pebble-size semolina pasta. It’s ready in five minutes.

Over that, I like to ladle curried chickpeas with potatoes. Chana masala, they call it at Indian restaurants. It’s as easy as sauteing onions with curry powder and a little flour, then tossing in a can of drained garbanzo beans and a couple of chopped potatoes (don’t bother to peel them) and some liquid (water or chicken broth). Dinner’s done in the time it takes to start a load of laundry.

Bottled marinara has always seemed too sweet (one of the main ingredients is usually corn syrup), but I recently discovered a tastes-like-homemade sauce imported from Italy. Pomi marinara (don’t confuse it with their plain diced tomatoes) comes in a carton and is made with fresh tomatoes. I’ve found it at Cassano’s, Huckleberry’s and Cost Plus Imports.

It’s good enough to just heat and eat, or simmer it with Italian sausage and sauteed sweet red peppers. Nestle that sausage inside a French roll and you’ve got a three-napkin sandwich.

In the summer, when garden tomatoes are ripening faster than we can eat them, I make a pasta sauce in the food processor that I call my liquid salad. It takes minutes to make: Pulse together tomatoes, garlic, fresh basil, a couple of green onions and crushed red pepper. Add olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. Toss with pasta and pass the grated parmesan.

On days off, I’ve got no problem with more involved recipes that get every pot and pan in my kitchen dirty. But on weeknights, I like to use just one pan when possible.

That strategy works well with the chicken from Barbara Kafka’s great cookbook called “Roasting: A Simple Art” (William Morrow, 1995). The seasoned author advocates high-temperature cooking for meats, which means faster prep-to-table time than standard roasting methods. It also makes for juicier meats and crispy skin.

So it takes an hour. It’s no fuss, once you get it in the oven. You can go fold that load of laundry.

Maybe someday I’ll be one of those organized types who cooks a whole slew of meals on Sunday that will last through the week. Or, maybe I’ll get the hang of planning ahead and firing up the crockpot, so the house will smell wonderful when I arrive home.

But until then, I’ll continue to get pumped up for the challenge of turning nothing into something in no time at all.

Spicy Noodles and Veggies

This is one of my favorites from Marian Burros’ “20-Minute Menus.” Though it calls for broccoli, I’ve successfully subbed frozen green peas or fresh asparagus. I have also streamlined the recipe by cooking the veggies with the pasta.

3 quarts water

8 ounces whole baby carrots

3-1/2 cups broccoli, cut into bite-size chunks

2 cups fusilli pasta

3 green onions

1 tablespoon grated ginger

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1-1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon dry white wine

1 teaspoon Asian sesame seed oil

1 teaspoon dry mustard

Few grinds black pepper

Few dashes cayenne pepper

Boil water for pasta. Cook pasta and carrots for 5 minutes, then add the broccoli and cook 5 more minutes. In the meantime, trim green onions and cut into 3 pieces; place in food processor. Grate ginger and add to food processor. Add peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, wine, sesame oil, mustard, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Process to blend thoroughly.

When pasta is cooked, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and then drain. Add pasta water to the sauce and blend briefly. Toss sauce with pasta and serve.

Yield: 2 generous servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 579 calories, 14 grams fat (22 percent fat calories), 29 grams protein, 87 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 11 grams dietary fiber, 618 milligrams sodium.

Simplest Roast Chicken

From Barbara Kafka’s “Roasting,” this easy meal is like having Sunday dinner during the week.

1 (5- to 6-pound) whole chicken, wing tips removed

1 lemon, halved

4 whole garlic cloves

Kosher salt, to taste

4 to 6 red potatoes, quartered

6 to 8 carrots, peeled and cut in half

Place rack on second level from bottom of oven. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Trim excess fat from chicken. Stuff the cavity with the lemon and garlic. Place the chicken in a roasting pan, breast side up. Place the potatoes and carrots in the pan and season with salt and pepper. After the first 10 minutes, move the bird with a wooden spatula to keep it from sticking. Then roast an additional 40 to 50 minutes, until the juices run clear.

Yield: 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 1,226 calories, 65 grams fat (48 percent fat calories), 119 grams protein, 37 grams carbohydrate, 365 milligrams cholesterol, 7 grams dietary fiber, 474 milligrams sodium.