Simmer

In this recipe, a casserole dish stands in for the traditional tagine. Serve with couscous or an Israeli salad of tomato, cucumber, and sweet onion.

This soft polenta is good topped with parmesan and fresh thyme and rosemary.

In this preparation, orzo is treated like risotto, which produces richer flavors and a creamier texture — with almost no stirring.

Mole Verde While this mole is best eaten soon after it is made, to appreciate the flavor of all the fresh greens, it can be prepared ahead up to the point of blending and adding the greens. Heat varies very much according to taste, so the number of serranos is optional. Typically this mole has a thickish texture and thickens more as it stands so it may require diluting. For all dishes of this kind, the larger and more compact the chicken the better — no fryers please. And adding extra giblets for a stronger broth is not a bad idea. This mole verde is also popularly made with espinazo, the backbone of the pig, which gives it a delicious flavor. I often make the mole with country-style spareribs cut into pieces.

Making risotto is often thought to be an ordeal of stirring, but it really only takes about 20 minutes. In actuality, it's an easy dish, especially when it's the main course.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Pear and Fig Strudels with Ginger Cream.

"On a tour of the South, I had dinner at The Boathouse, an outstanding restaurant in Charleston, South Carolina," says Marion Hunt of Valhalla, New York. "Their spicy shrimp and sausage with grits was my favorite meal of the entire trip." The creamy grits and spicy sauce create a nice contrast. Adjust the amount of hot pepper sauce to make the dish as hot as you like.

This is the one potato salad that purists dream of-plenty of tangy dressing and just a bit of crunch. Low-fat or nonfat mayonnaise and sour cream can be used.

"The Indians and English use them much," wrote one visitor to New England in 1663, "boyling them with Sugar for Sauce to eat with their Meat, and it is a delicate Sauce." Although there is little evidence that cranberry sauce was served at the first Thanksgiving, it is assumed that Indians brought it to the feast. This tangy version gets its intense flavor and color from a mixture of fresh and dried cranberries, along with frozen cranberry juice cocktail concentrate.

Though penne is Faith Heller Willinger's pasta of choice for this dish, we tried other types—such as mafalde (broad, rippled noodles similar to lasagna noodles but not quite as wide)—and found they work well, too.

This recipe combines the best of two classic New Orleans dishes — gumbo and jambalaya.