Simmer

The long cooking time makes this lamb meltingly tender. Offer noodles alongside.

In this dish, Elena Rovera prefers the clean, fruity flavor of Roero Arneis, a dry white wine from the Piedmont region of Italy. She typically serves the chicken with rosemary potatoes. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Serve the ham with baked sweet potatoes and buttered baby peas. Finish with wedges of sponge cake topped with fudge sauce.

This rich red nectar may be eaten hot or cold. I serve it in a demitasse or other small cup. Scrub the beets well before cooking. Taste as you prepare the soup, because getting the right balance of sweet and sour is important.

Hot or cold, this soup is a great starter and can be a meal in itself. It's thickened with potatoes — not cream — but tastes self-indulgent just the same. [NB: This recipe requires a slow cooker.]

Zingerman's is one of the best-known corner delis in the Midwest. This classic creamy potato salad, which has just the right amount of mayonnaise tang, is a mainstay on the menu there.

Serve with: Mixed baby greens with shredded radishes in a citrus vinaigrette, and a sesame baguette.

There's no need to trim the watercress; you can use every bit of it in this recipe. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 2 3/4 hr(includes chilling)

Treat yourself to fresh clams for this recipe — they make all the difference. This dish originated in Rhode Island during the late 19th century, when, as story has it, Portuguese immigrants added tomatoes to their chowder. British New Englanders believed their creamy chowder to be superior and named the Portuguese version after Manhattan, presuming that New Yorkers were the only people crazy enough to add tomatoes.

The oversize croutons add a nice crunch to this warming dish, which is a cross between a soup and a stew. Serve with: Romaine salad with sliced oranges, black olives, and balsamic vinaigrette.

Garbure Don't be misled by the plain-looking appearance of this classic Basque soup; it is thoroughly satisfying and delicious. Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 10 1/2 hr (includes soaking beans)

Chuckwagon cooks used to simmer beans for days, and the cowboys always thought they tasted best on the third day. This version, called frijoles de olla in Spanish, is even better reheated. The beans cook in flavorful juices that are also served with them.

"I love to go out for Indian and Thai food, but my attempts to re-create the dishes at home never turned out very well," says Juliet Hardesty of Bloomington, Indiana. "It wasn’t until I began experimenting with curry paste and ginger that I realized having the right ingredients makes all the difference. This single-dish chicken dinner blends some of my favorite flavors."