Cured Meat

A lovely dish that's a snap to prepare.

In this typical Northern Italian entrée, polenta is topped with a rich and meaty ragù. Begin preparing the dish one day before you plan to serve it.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Make this at least one day and up to two days ahead for best flavor. This is a much simplified version of the classic smoked meat and bean cassoulet.

Gay Koenemann of Bonn, Germany, had dinner at 300 East Boulevard on a recent trip to Charlotte, North Carolina. There he was treated to the most exquisite salad he'd ever had. Although the restaurant calls it Fall Salad on the menu, it's enjoyable year-round. Dried cranberries would make a good alternative to the dried cherries.

"The crisp little pieces of turkey skin called 'cracklings' were another annual Thanksgiving treat of mine. They reminded me of bacon, and I could never get enough. My buttermilk corn bread—which is sweet and savory, moist inside and crunchy outside—puts some real bacon into the feast." Start preparing this one day ahead.

Two shortcuts — prepared chestnuts and a purchased corn bread stuffing base — add to the appeal of this recipe from chef and Aidells Sausage Company founder Bruce Aidells.

If they are available, purchase dry-packed scallops, which exude less liquid.

Chopped pimiento-stuffed olives, bacon, and Dijon mustard take a standard to new heights. Offer potato chips, cherry tomatoes, and sliced deli-style pickles alongside.

"My husband, Greg, and I cook together a lot," writes Sara Hainsworth of Frederick, Maryland, "which is fun and makes weeknight dinners and cooking for friends easier to manage now that we're starting our own family. I worked before our son, William, was born, but as my husband says, William is my boss now. So I count on quick, dependably good dishes like this more than ever." Sara says that this soup tastes even better the next day (which makes it an ideal party dish). But we thought it was delicious the same day, too.

If you make these as a side dish for the southern fried catfish, you can fry them in the same oil, but cook the hush puppies first because the fish will flavor the oil.

Based on two root vegetables, this soup tastes sophisticated nonetheless.

This smoky, creamy combination of white and sweet potatoes may be the ultimate Thanksgiving side dish.

A food editor savored this breakfast dish in a small bistro as her first meal in Paris and has never forgotten it. We've made it easy to re-create at home. It makes a hearty breakfast, brunch, or supper dish. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 45 min

This was one of those invented-while-walking-up-and-down-the-aisles-of-the-supermarket dishes; the thought process in it is a good example of how one uses taste elements to design a dish. It was a cold day and the idea of a hearty pork roast conjured up some equally substantial lentils. Then the hard salami and figs suggested themselves for salt and balancing sweetness. We figured the bulbiness of the onions would pull up all of the strong tastes in the wild palate of this recipe. Serve with lentil stew.