Simmer

For something refreshing after a rich meal, look no further than this classic combination of Campari and grapefruit.

Fruit goes formal with a dressy sugar accessory while still staying true to its healthy roots by supplying vitamin C.

Editor's note: Erika Lenkert, author of the book, The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining, learned this recipe from Chef Hiro Sone. For Lenkert's tips on throwing a last-minute New Year's Eve party, click here. One holiday I hosted a potluck dinner party in Napa with some of my favorite food friends, including one of my very favorite chefs on earth — Hiro Sone — accompanied by his talented pastry chef wife and dear friend Lissa. Hiro anted up this soup, which I forced him to teach me how to make. It offers truly luxurious results with minimal effort. Kept covered and warm in a double boiler on the stove, its velvety texture and creamy flavor should last the length of any party.

Elena slow–cooks her polenta the traditional way, which can be a soul–satisfying experience if you set aside the time. When polenta is cooked properly, each grain of cornmeal slowly absorbs the liquid until it swells, becoming perfectly tender and seeming to disappear within the whole.

•Ragù can be made 1 day ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered.
•Ragù can be made with 1 1/2 pounds boneless veal shoulder, cut into 1–inch pieces, in a 6–quart wide heavy pot. Add veal to pot in place of rabbit and, after cooking until no longer pink on outside, add 4 cups water and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to about 1 cup and veal is very tender, about 10 hours. Proceed with recipe.

Cracked wheat, or bulgur, has a nutty, sweet taste that I love. In India, it's eaten with milk and sugar for dessert, but I like to serve it as a savory pilaf. I use chicken stock for added richness and flavor, but you can substitute vegetable stock if you want to. And, depending on what else you are serving with the pilaf, feel free to embellish with chopped fresh chiles, cilantro, and/or mint.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Seasoned in the South by Bill Smith, the chef at Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill. Throughout the South, collards are a traditional New Year's Day dish — because their flat, green leaves resemble dollar bills, collards are said to bring monetary fortune in the new year. Hardly a workday passes that I don't eat at least a spoonful of collards. I never grow tired of them. I also love to drink their broth and to pour the broth over rice. My great-grandmother used to say that this "pot liquor" was like medicine. She also said that eating collards was how poor people survived the Depression, because collards will grow almost anywhere under almost any conditions and are very nourishing. People would plant them in their yards back then, and they still do. Essentially all you do to collards is boil them for a long time with salt. At Crook's I almost always have a ham bone to add. Most butcher shops and meat departments will have some sort of ham bone or ham hocks for sale.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Jamie Oliver's book, Jamie's Italy. This dish features a classic Italian combination — lentils and sausage — and is a traditional part of New Year's because the main ingredients are thought to be lucky. Salsicce con lenticchie verdi e salsa di pomodoro The equivalent of bangers and mash in Italy is definitely a good roasted sausage with a pile of lenticchie di Castelluccio and a spicy salsa rossa tomato sauce — a genius combo.

Serve with roast pork or cottage cheese.

The one-two punch of peas in this healthy vegetarian soup is dynamite.

A cook's dream: The base is made ahead, and the shrimp are added at the last minute. Best of all, the gumbo tastes even better the second day.

This fragrant soup from Sam Hazen, executive chef at Tao in New York City and Las Vegas, is brimming with lean protein. Perfect for chilly weather!

This recipe originally accompanied Potato-Parsnip Latkes with Savory Applesauce

This timeless dish is a beautiful, delicious, easy beginning to dinner. You can also think of mimosa as a nice way to add a little inexpensive protein to a vegetable side or leafy green salad.

Because fresh fruit was once scarce in Sweden during the winter, compotes stewed from dried fruits (mixed with a little alcohol to take the nip off the cold) are traditional at Christmas julbord. Here, dried cherries simmered with red wine and Port are subtly spiced with cinnamon and black pepper. This compote partners beautifully with cheese, which is how Magnus Ek serves it; we've also found that it complements the rice pudding in place of warm milk and sugar.

Julgröt Chef Magnus Ek uses Arborio rice for a rich pudding with a consistency that's creamier than most. It's barely sweetened, but we've found that most people like to stir in warm milk and sprinkle some turbinado sugar and cinnamon on top.