Cornmeal

This recipe is an accompaniment for Braised Lamb Shanks .

Active time: 35 min Start to finish:50 min

Hearty breakfast fare from Rick & Ann's in Berkeley, California.

We love Marcella Hazan's "no-stirring" method for polenta — the following recipe is based on the one in her book Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. It does require some stirring, but not the constant attention of traditional methods. Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Cornmeal gives this cake a coarse texture that is a delightful foil for the smooth filling and whipped cream frosting.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Half of one of these loaves is enough for the croutons for the White Bean and Ham Hock Soup with Arugula.

Melt some butter in maple syrup to drizzle over these slightly crunchy hotcakes.

(Spicy Chicken Crêpes)

The Mexican sausage called chorizo teams up with other southwestern ingredients-including corn bread, an Anaheim chili, cilantro and oregano-for a delicious stuffing.

Although traditional Italian polenta is simmered for nearly an hour, resulting in a very creamy consistency, for the following recipe we preferred the more rustic texture of this quickly cooked version.

Here's a perfect way to have the taste of fried oysters without all the extra fat. If the oysters are very large, cut them in half before coating them with the cornmeal.

The Indian staple cornmeal became a mainstay of Colonial cooking; European arrivals used it to stretch their scarce wheat flour. We have adopted the same tactic with our modern edition of the venerable breakfast dish, pancakes. They are, of course, also a good excuse to bring out the maple syrup, another gift from the Indians. Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.