Simmer

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.

Sometimes the simplest meals are the most delicious. This bacony soup with toasted cheese couldn't be more satisfying.

Crêpes au cidre
These are not the thin, delicate crêpes you may be used to. Made with baking powder, they are rustic-style: heartier and a little thicker — and perfectly suited to soaking up plenty of sweet syrup. Hard cider (fermented apple cider) can be found in the beer section of most supermarkets.

This vegetarian main course is hearty, healthy, and delicious.

The distinct flavors of fresh cilantro and curry powder, along with the unexpected addition of peanut butter, turn a simple tomato-based soup into something special. You can make it vegetarian by using vegetable broth.

Couscous is one of the fastest side dishes to prepare, but this jazzed-up, garlicky rendition shows that it need not be bland. Serve it with the Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Paillards or with grilled Italian sausages.

A bit of cardamom gives this dessert its exotic flavor. The pudding needs to chill about five hours before serving, so be sure to plan ahead.

Lauren Farber of Wellesley, Massachusetts, writes: "I have eaten twice at Lumière in West Newton, Massachusetts, and each time I have enjoyed the mushroom soup. Can you help me get the recipe?" A combination of white and porcini mushrooms makes for a full-flavored stock — the key to a soup that's simple and smooth.

Silky smooth and with a crunchy topping, this seductive soup packs a range of flavors — earthy, smoky, and tart-sweet. If you decide to omit the bacon, substitute 1 tablespoon butter when you cook your vegetables.

It's traditional to serve a whole chicken, including the head and feet, for Chinese New Year. The white meat symbolizes purity, and serving the entire bird represents unity. Plunging the chicken into ice water after poaching ensures that the meat is perfectly juicy and tender. A very simple but powerful dipping sauce tops it off. Use only a tiny amount — it's quite strong.

Why this once popular drink has faded into obscurity is a mystery to us. It's relatively light but packed with flavor, and it deserves to reclaim its place in the punchtheon.

The simplicity of this pasta dish lets the escarole shine. Excellent as an entrée or as a first course served before roasted chicken or beef.

From the rich broth to the velvety cubes of winter melon — a gourd commonly used in Chinese cuisine for the wonderfully soft texture it takes on during cooking — this wholesome soup is immensely satisfying. Although the winter melon's delicate white flesh has no distinct taste of its own, it absorbs the broth's flavor. We recommend buying a good-quality organic free-range chicken to get the best results. Since Chinese ham is unavailable in the United States, we substitute Smithfield ham. But other cured hams, such as prosciutto, also work well.