Parmesan

Risotta allo Zafferano con Midollo alla Piastra Combining a lovely golden hue with wonderfully beefy depth, this classic risotto alla milanese is hearty enough to stand on its own, but if you really want to be Italian about it, pair it with ossobuco.

Using a freshly made ricotta makes all the difference in these delicious fried morsels.

Versatile store-bought polenta, turned cheesy with mascarpone and Parmigiano, is the simplest way we know to make cornmeal mush sexy.

Editor's note: This recipe is from Erika Lenkert's book, The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining For Lenkert's tips on throwing a last-minute New Year's Eve party, click here. A luscious combination of salty and sweet, these pop-in-your-mouth morsels look especially pretty when arranged on a platter and sprinkled with chopped parsley.

These savory biscotti are ideal for a soiree. Their crisp texture is accented by the richness of parmesan and the bite of black pepper — perfect for nibbling in between sips of wine.

Egg whites give these quick, cheesy nibbles their exceptionally light texture. Bite-size portions make them the perfect mouth-popping accompaniment to an aperitif.

It takes only a few powerful ingredients like these to pull off amazingly full flavor. This rich, sophisticated pasta is guaranteed to keep the winter doldrums at bay.

Simply pour this rich dressing over wedges of crisp iceberg lettuce or quartered heads of romaine for a salad, or use it as a dip for crudités.

This rich, custard-like stuffing is also a great main-course option for vegetarians at the Thanksgiving table; it would be nice with a salad for brunch or lunch, too.

Traditionally, gremolata is made with parsley, lemon peel, and garlic. Here, Parmesan adds richness and pecans add crunch.

This classic Italian trio never gets old, because it works so well: The saltiness of Parmigiano-Reggiano accentuates the sweetness in the popular winter squash while earthy sage rounds it all out.

This bolognese lacks one traditional main ingredient—meat. However, with hearty vegetables, you'll hardly know it's missing.

We've added spinach to this classic Italian soup to create a dish that's both filling and delicious.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Amy Sedaris's I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence. For Sedaris's tips on throwing a Halloween party, click here. Meat loaf has a lot of variations so be creative and change it up.

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Ted Allen's The Food You Want to Eat. This is the easiest homemade cocktail snack you could ever imagine. Even better: it's probably the most delicious one in existence—salty, cheesy, and irresistible. It's basically a very cheesy cheese cracker; just a bit of shredded cheese baked with a tiny bit of flour and some herbs until it's good and crispy. (And it has the added advantage of making your house smell fantastic.) It's also a great tasting and beautiful addition to a salad, especially if you're brave enough to try this: the moment the crisps come out of the oven, while they're still hot and flexible, try rolling them around the handle of a wooden spoon to form a cylinder. They're also great looking left in their natural state of flat, irregular ovals.

Feel free to experiment with this recipe—a different sausage or cheese may make it your new no-hassle dinner standby.