5 Ingredients or Fewer

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.

The following is an adaptation of a recipe originally appearing in Gourmet, August 1958.

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

"Five years ago, I threw my first dinner party," writes Kristin McGill of Chicago, Illinois. "It was a memorable night with good friends, great food and lots of wine. That night, cooking became my passion. Now even after a long day at the office, I look forward to making dinner for my husband, Henry, and myself. That’s because for me whipping up a meal at the end of the day has become the perfect stress reliever." A perfect party hors d’oeuvre or accompaniment to soup or the Bibb Lettuce, Avocado, and Dried Cranberry Salad.

This recipe was created to accompany Herbed Yellow Pepper Scrambled Eggs With Chive Sour Cream on Brioche. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

"As a kid, I'd accompany my mother to her job at the racetrack, where she would lead the horses out to the starting gate," writes Michael Hunter of Studio City, California. "Eventually I was helping out in the stalls, and when I got older, I became a jockey. My mother was also the person who, in a roundabout way, inspired my other passion: cooking. I'd come home from school, and she would have prepared something from a box or can. I didn't always like what was on the dinner table, so one day I asked her to buy me a cookbook. Pretty soon I was making dinner for us almost every night. Now, after seventeen years of racing horses and cooking for family and friends, I'm making the jump to professional cooking."

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.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The mashed sweet potatoes with sage butter are a great side dish for calf's liver. We recommend asking the butcher for the freshest calf's liver available, since it can vary in quality. Soaking the liver in milk, a method typically used for pork liver, helps soften and mellow its flavor.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This style of pizza is called "sfincione" in its native Sicily. Precede it with some canned bean soup that has been accented with chopped fresh sage and diced tomatoes. End with strawberries drizzled with Marsala, and pass nougat candies or assorted chocolates.

Rutabagas and buttermilk add wonderful taste and texture to the potatoes in this recipe.