Simmer

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Tangy buttermilk custards are a delicious foil for sweet tropical fruit.

The cooking water for these beans becomes a flavorful broth to serve them in.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

"I literally didn't know how to boil an egg until I was in my 20s — when I tried to impress a guy by making dinner for him," writes Sally Siegel of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "I didn't have much success with the dinner or the guy, but I regrouped and put together a repertoire of fairly elegant dishes I felt confident making. Luckily, my husband, Loren, likes to cook as much as I do, so we really work as a team when we give dinner parties. We're both real estate agents, and we like to entertain clients — we've made some great friends by selling houses to them." Silky and light, this blender soup would make a delicate summer starter. Bonus: It comes together very quickly.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Veggie crumbles, a savory blend of vegetable and grain proteins, lend this chili a hearty, ground beef flavor. Look for it in the frozen foods section of the supermarket. To go with the chili, warm some of the new flavored tortillas, and add a composed salad of jicama and red onion with poppy seed ranch dressing. Then splurge with banana splits.

Cubans call this delicious stew enchilado, and while that might sound a lot like enchilada, the two dishes are nothing alike.

Puréed ancho chilies lend a rich, sweet, and only mildly hot flavor to this chili. To make a hotter dish, do not remove the veins or seeds from the chilies. If anchos or similar dried chilies are not readily available, substitute one roasted and peeled red bell pepper and 1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes when puréeing.

Active time: 1 1/4 hr Start to finish: 2 hr

This recipe was created to accompany Seared Scallops with Tarragon Cream.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The following polenta recipe is based on Ms. Hazan's "no-stirring" method; it can be substituted in any of the recipes that call for basic polenta.

A thick, rich soup that's very satisfying on a cold day, especially with warm tortillas or biscuits alongside.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less, but requires additional unattended time.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.