BY CHEF BOB

SPECIAL TO THE HERALD DEMOCRAT

There are a number of enterprises where, more often than not, simple is better than complicated. This is certainly true with writing, and it is often true with cooking as well.

In summer's heat, a Salad Niçoise -- tuna, hard cooked eggs, tomatoes, green beans and small black olives served cold on a bed of greens and topped with a vingaigrette -- can be more satisfying than something that took hours to concoct. Come winter, when the light fades early and the temperature drops, comfort on coming home after a long day's work calls for meal that is quick, unpretentious and satisfying. Here are three suggestions that fit that bill quite well, roast beef hash, creamed tuna on toast and frittatas.

What follows are not so much recipies as suggestions. Part of what make simple cooking good, is imagination. Use what ingredients you have, what you like, and make things up as you go along. It will usually turn out all right. If not, well, there is always pizza delivery.

Roast Beef Hash

This dish used to be the Tuesday way to use up the last of Sunday's roast beef dinner, but as people eat out more, leftovers are becoming harder to count on. You might have to plan a head on this one, and stop by the deli for some cold sliced beef if there is nothing in the fridge.

To three cups of diced, cold roast beef, add two cups of diced, cooked potatoes and mix in a bowl with diced onion, some bell pepper and whatever else you have at hand. English peas would be good. Melt some butter in a skillet, add the hash mixture and saute to brown. Crust is good. Add beef stock and heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste, and shake in a dash of tabasco, worchestershire sauce or steak sauce if you like the taste.

Serve over hot biscuits, saving a couple of biscuits to have with butter and jelly for dessert. Contentment.

Creamed Tuna on Toast

A no stick skillet makes clean up easier for this dish. Make a simple white roux, a bechamel, by melting several tablespoons of butter, adding an equal amount of flour and cooking for a couple of minutes. Whisk in a cup or so of milk until the bechamel starts to thicken.

Add a can of tuna and a cup or more of English peas. (If you use frozen peas, run them under spray of water for a minute to start the defrosting process.) Add salt and pepper to taste and heat through. Spoon over dry toast or English muffins and serve.

Frittata

This Italian omelet is easier to make than the French version and makes good vehicle for almost any add-ins you like. You will need an oven-proof skillet.

What is going into the frittata? Cooked ham, chicken, turkey, roast beef, cooked sausage or sliced sausage would be good. What else? Bell peppers, cooked potatoes, peas, beans, onions, squash, broccoli, sliced or pitted olives? Vegetables can be raw if they will cook quickly. You could even add fruit. Blueberries would hold up well. How about cheese? You have to have some cheese, and to add an Italian touch, add some cold pasta.

Turn on your broiler and adjust the rack so the skillet will be about six inches below the heat source. On top of the stove, over medium heat, saute any raw ingredients, toss in the cooked items and heat through.

Figure about one large egg per inch of skillet diameter -- 12-inch skillet, 12 eggs -- this will make a thick frittata, use fewer eggs if you want it thinner. Whisk the eggs in a bowl with three tablespoons of half and half and mix in about half of the shredded cheese. Pour eggs into to hot skillet with the filling ingredients.

Cook the egg mixture for about two minutes, scraping the sides and bottom of the skillet with a heat-proof spatula, than stop stirring. When the mixture is partially set, but still liquid in places, sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top and stick under the broiler for two to four minutes to melt the cheese and brown the top of the frittata. Keep an eye on the broiler so the frittata does not burn.

Remove from oven and let stand for five minutes to finish cooking. Slice like a pie and serve. A salad or slice tomatoes would be a nice accompaniment.

Don't get too hung up on recipies. Learn techniques and use your imagination to apply them to your cooking.

Contact Chef Bob at AskChefBob@gmail.com