Cheese

Antoinette Muto of Los Angeles, California, writes: "My business partner and I own a company that makes costumes for the film industry. When we are involved in a huge project — as we were with Minority Report and X2 — we work very long days, and sometimes even on weekends. So I don't have much time to cook or even to go out for lunch or dinner. That's when my no-fiddling cooking style comes in handy. I cut corners when I can — without sacrificing flavor. I prepare all-vegetarian meals, using the freshest ingredients from the farmers' market, and I really get a kick out of seeing people come over to my house and not miss the meat one bit." Look for soft lavash — a large, thin rectangular bread (about 18x12 inches) — in Middle Eastern markets or in the bread section of most supermarkets. Two 11- to 12-inch- diameter flour tortillas can be substituted.

This feisty sauce gets its name from one of its ingredients, dried crushed red pepper (arrabbiata is Italian for "angry"). Use extra red pepper for an even spicier result. Serve with: Deli antipasti such as olives, roasted red peppers, and provolone atop a bed of arugula, and seeded semolina bread. Dessert: Purchased tiramisù.

Regarded as peasant food for centuries, polenta achieved culinary stardom in the past few years, thanks to widespread exploration of all aspects of Italian gastronomy. Polenta can be enjoyed in its soft, creamy state right after being prepared; or it can be chilled in a loaf pan, sliced and cooked on a grill or griddle. Try this soft version with sausages. The coarse polenta specified is sometimes labeled "stone-ground corn grits."

The base of the tart is purchased puff pastry, which makes this dish — served as an appetizer at Lucques — as easy as it is delicious. With the addition of a soup, it could also be a lovely lunch or supper.

"On a visit to Key West, Florida, I had a superb dinner at Camille's Restaurant," writes Patrick Wessels of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. "I was especially impressed by the creamy Gorgonzola cheese sauce they served over roast pork tenderloin."

A blintz is simply a filled crepe. If making crepes is new to you, you'll be glad to know that there is plenty of batter to try a few practice ones. The completed blintzes can be frozen for up to a month.

Although four mini-muffin pans are called for, each containing twelve 1 3/4-by-1 inch cups, you could also make these tartlets in batches using two pans. When making the dough, work quickly to prevent the phyllo from drying out and the butter from hardening.

A cup or so of the linguine cooking water is the secret to a properly made pasta with pesto.

Prepare this a day in advance to give the flavors time to blend and the cake a chance to become firm and properly chilled.

Pasta chi Civa is traditionally served during Carnilivari (Mardi Gras) in Polizzi Generosa to fortify the revelers.

Active time: 35 min Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

Spaghetti a Cacio e Pepe This is the simplest and one of the tastiest pasta dishes in the Roman repertoire, served at home and at every trattoria offering cucina romana or cucina povera (poor folks' cooking).... The trick to making this recipe work is to dilute the cheese and pepper with 1 tablespoon of pasta water per serving, and to amalgamate the ingredients in the pot the pasta water was boiled in, a technique called mantecare, meaning to mix and meld.

We used a Microplane rasp (available at cookware shops) to grate the cheese in this recipe. You can use a box grater instead, but the same amount of cheese (1 ounce) will yield less volume. Active time: 25 min Start to finish: 1 1/4 hr

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.