Sausage

This dish is a wonderful alternative to more traditional dressing. It's normal for a crust to develop on the bottom of the pot — after scooping out most of the rice, you can cook the crust a bit longer, then chip off the tasty morsels.

Inspired by Big Night Set in New Jersey in the 1950s, this 1996 film revolves around the conflict between two immigrant brothers who decide to open a restaurant. Primo defends his purist Italian cooking to Secondo, his brother, who is more concerned with the bottom line. Frustrated with customers who want simple plates of spaghetti and meatballs, Primo prepares timpano, a complex, drum-shaped dish of pasta-filled pastry. We've taken the timpano and simplified it into a timballo, a molded casserole without a pastry crust. For added flair, arrange the ziti in a decorative pattern as you make the first layer of the timballo.

Diane Semrad Anderson of Louisville, Kentucky, writes: "This is a peasant dish inspired by my Bohemian grandmother, who used her own homemade sausage in a similar creation. It is simple and delicious."

Armandino Batali of Salumi in Seattle, writes: "My son, Mario Batali, may be the most recognizable foodie in the family, but the Batalis' interest in Italian cooking and culture goes back generations. My grandfather opened Seattle's first Italian-food import store in 1903. It was located just a few steps from where my restaurant, Salumi, is now, and it's one of the things that inspired me to get into the business. "The idea behind Salumi was to create a restaurant, deli, and meat factory in one place, just like the salumerias in Italy. We're known for homemade sausages and salami, but we also attract a large lunchtime crowd. Some of the specials, like the meat loaf and frittata, have been in our family for years. They're also easy to make at home." This Italian-inspired version is filled with sausage, mozzarella cheese, and basil.

At Luca this is prepared in individual dishes. For a family-style dinner, double the recipe and prepare it in one large baking dish. Use your favorite marinara recipe or a purchased sauce.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The German settlers in Philadelphia were known for their sausage-making talents. In this side dish, sausage teams up with molasses and squash, two classic Colonial ingredients. Be sure to select squash that are no bigger than four inches in diameter so that they will fit in a single layer in the baking dish.

This recipe was created to accompany Roast Goose with Port Gravy.

Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 45 min

(SMACAFAM) The name of this dish means "hunger killer" in the dialect of the Trentino part of the northern region of Trentino-Alto Adige.

Builds a simple meal around this very easy soup; just adds cheese and fruit to complete the menu.