Flour

The crisp-crusted corn cakes of Colombia and Venezuela called arepas were the inspiration for these delicious sauce soppers. In their native habitats they can be found as thin as crêpes or as thick as scones; savory or sweet; plain or stuffed; fried, baked, or even grilled. We like these straight from the skillet — and they are even better made a day ahead and then reheated. But we really love them loaded up with the juices from a plateful of steak and chimichurri sauce .

Walnuts add crunch to these breakfast treats served at the Mirror Lake Inn in Lake Placid.

This recipe originally accompanied Lemon-Sage Cornish Game Hens with Tomato-Porcini Sauce. If you can get it, use stone-ground cornmeal; it's grainier than regular cornmeal and gives the dish a slightly crackly texture.

Jiffy muffin mixes were part of the boxed baking craze that took hold in the thirties, and they remain a supermarket staple. Here, frozen corn kernels, shredded cheese and fresh basil are convenient additions.

Karla Medina of League City, Texas, writes: "At a food festival in downtown Houston, I had a sampler plate from Carmelo's Italian Restaurant. The eggplant Parmesan and spicy meatballs were very good, but the polenta was out of this world. I'd love to know how they prepared it."

An Italian twist on an English favorite.

This corn bread is less moist than others, but it's perfectly delicious for eating, especially when spread with butter. Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 1 hr (includes cooling)

Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 20 min I always use white cornmeal, as do many southerners — it has better flavor and tends to have a finer grind. When traveling, I look for cornmeal from specialty mills, but at home I stick with Kentucky Kernel or Nunn-Better, which I get at the local grocery. I urge people to buy cornmeal that has been grown and ground close to home — freshness is more important than brand.

This dessert can be made one day ahead and stored in the freezer, making it ideal for entertaining. You can create the decorative meringue swirls and peaks with a rubber spatula, table knife, or spoon, but an offset spatula works best.

Margaret DeMatteo of Stirling, New Jersey, writes: "My husband recently took me to the nearby Perryville Inn to celebrate my birthday. We had a fabulous 'BLT' appetizer made with layers of fried green tomatoes, pancetta, and basil mayonnaise. I would greatly appreciate it if you could get the recipe."

Some of the tenderest pasta is made with Italian "00" soft wheat flour. Since this flour can be hard to find, we used a combination of cake flour and all-purpose flour with good results.

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

The black pepper is not necessary, but it does add interest and a pleasant warmth in the mouth. If you'd rather, add 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger with the dry ingredients, instead of the pepper. These are perfect with ice cream and fruit. This recipe uses approximately 4 lemons.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Mushroom Tortellini in Mushroom Broth . Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

Here's the traditional southern way to bake and serve corn bread: right in the skillet. Using shortening to grease the pan produces a nice, brown crust.