Basmati Rice

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 35 min

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less. This variation on Spanish rice is wonderful with spicy Southwestern dishes.

Rice pilaf can be made traditionally, with basmati rice, or with regular long-grain white rice. For a real treat, garnish the pilaf with shredded coconut, raisins and chopped green onions.

From India's restaurant in Denver, this side dish has whole peppercorns, cardamom and cloves. They are not meant to be eaten, so discard them when serving the rice.

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 50 min

The mix of flavors in this side dish is great with broiled lamb chops or roast chicken.

Using the risotto method with long-grain rice yields rich flavor and light texture.

Cooking rhubarb to the right consistency is trickier than you might think — it changes from barely tender to falling apart in a matter of seconds. Watch it carefully while it's poaching. In this recipe you’ll need to boil the rhubarb syrup to the "soft-ball stage." To determine this, just drop a small amount of syrup into a cup of cold water. If you can form it into a sticky lump that flattens when pressed, it has reached the right consistency. This technique is especially useful with small amounts of syrup, from which it can be difficult to obtain an accurate temperature reading with a thermometer.