Sausage

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Choucroute — the pickled cabbage that is a cornerstone of Alsatian cuisine — is similar to sauerkraut. One key difference is that choucroute is always cooked in wine. Here, sauerkraut is combined with smoked ham hocks, sausages and potatoes.

Wolfgang Puck gets the credit for redefining pizza at his trend-setting Spago restaurant in West Hollywood. The inventive pizzas came topped with everything from goat cheese and Black Forest ham to artichokes and exotic mushrooms. Duck sausage pizzas, like this one, were a real hit.

Classic choucroute garnie combines sauerkraut, potatoes, and a variety of meats. Here, chunks of smoked sausage are cooked with sauerkraut and flavored with caraway. On the side, have boiled red-skinned potatoes tossed with parsley and a spinach salad. End with purchased apple strudel.

"Cooking with friends — that's pretty much what my life has been about," writes Louise Pickerel of Muskogee, Oklahoma. "When I moved here from Texas ten years ago, it was hard to leave the people I'd known for so long, but I've probably met two hundred new people since then. I have always entertained, but now that I'm retired, I finally have more time to play bridge and cook." Perfect for Thanksgiving, these warm hors d'oeuvres can be assembled a day ahead and chilled, then baked before serving.

"On a recent visit to Charleston, South Carolina, I was greatly taken with the grits served at the restaurant Slightly North of Broad, on East Bay Street," says Charles C. Gordon of Ontario, Canada. "Is it possible to get the recipe?"

Steamed spinach, mashed potatoes, and oatmeal cookies would fit the rustic theme.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 45 min

This recipe is intended as a baked dressing to accompany the Thanksgiving turkey . It can be used as stuffing (a practice I do not recommend for turkey), if you desire. It also makes a good stuffing for capon or pork.

"For my son's birthday, I'd like to make a pasta, sausage, and lentil dish that we both ate during an Italian vacation," writes Miriam Scott of New York, New York. "We stayed at Locanda l'Elisa, located just south of Lucca in Tuscany. The hotel's greenhouse-like restaurant, the Gazebo, served the pasta dish that was so wonderful. Could you possibly track down the recipe? " Adding some of the pasta's cooking water to this dish gives it a creamy quality.

At the restaurant, this dish is served as a starter. It would also make a great main course for four.

Frances Driesbach, Maui, Hawaii
"This chili was inspired by Southern Calif., where I grew up. Red, green, and yellow peppers represent the Mexican fiesta."

Serve this dish with French bread to get all the delicious sauce.

Here is a rustic, comforting casserole that is very easy to prepare.

An elegant main course from Xaviar’s restaurant in Garrison. Ask the butcher to bone the lamb for you.

Any type of hot smoked pork sausage such as andouille or kielbasa will do for this takeoff on traditional Louisiana dirty rice. Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 1 hr