You don’t have to spend hard-earned cash on gourmet goods to take meals up a notch. Patience (praises for braises!) and a few handy techniques transform the humblest of ingredients into food everyone will love. Here, canned whole tomatoes, cooked low and slow with olive oil, and tinned sardines, rebooted as crispy croquettes, enhance a white-bean salad. It’s hearty, it’s wholesome—it’s the dish you serve that elicits cries of “Peasant food is the best food!”