Rice

This is the classic country paella of Valencia, made with chicken and rabbit, and in snail season, cooked snails called vaquetas. Authentic paella should be made over firewood. Twigs from olive or orange trees are used for hot flames, and thicker logs are used for a slower fire. The trick is to have both at the same time, so that the meat and vegetables can be browned slowly, then the rice brought to the boil over the hottest part of the fire, then set over a lower flame. If you can't build a wood fire, a charcoal one will do. Valencian bachoqueta de herradura and Valencian garrofón (special green and flat green beans, respectively, from the region) were called for in the original recipe, but other green beans can be substituted, and cooked dried beans or lima beans can be substituted for the flat green beans. You can also have your butcher cut up the rabbit for you, if desired.

A creamy risotto might make a main course, but for this Italian dish of braised veal , you might want to bend the rules of one dish cooking to be able to serve a traditional Italian-style side dish. Making risotto is not demanding—you can make it with ease while the veal shanks are braising.

Albóndigas is Spanish for meatballs. Ours are lightened with grated zucchini.

This is a recipe lost to most New Orleanians, save for a few old bucks and grannys who can remember calas fried rice fritters being sold in the streets first thing in the morning in the French Quarter by women of African descent who carried them in baskets balanced on their heads, shouting out "Belle cala! Tout chaud!" Crisp around the edges with a plump, toothsome belly, these fritters beg to be served with obscene quantities of earthy, sorghum-like cane syrup, though traditionalists may opt for confectioners' sugar instead. A cup of strong coffee or a café au lait is the ideal accompaniment.
While old school recipes call for cooking rice until it's mushy and then letting it rise with yeast overnight, I like my fritters with distinct grains of rice suspended in a light batter that's leavened with baking powder rather than yeast. It's important to make the fritters with cold rice so the grains remain separate and don't clump together in the fritter batter.

Andouille, the heavily spiced and smoked sausage that is a linchpin of so many Cajun dishes, adds its inimitable heat to an able stuffing stand-in. A swirl of cream gravy (above) can help quell the spice.

This is probably the most requested dish at my restaurant, davidburke & donatella. You can, of course, adjust the heat in this dish to your own palate. I really like it to have a powerful note. It is another terrific dish for entertaining as the rice, basil, and tomatoes can all be made in advance. The rice can be kept warm over hot water or it can be reheated in a microwave. The lobster can be cut up in advance, and then all that is left to do is to put it all together, which should take no more than twenty minutes.

This name came from a Frank Zappa song called "Jewish Princess" where he says: "I want a dainty little Jewish princess with a couple of sisters who can raise a few blisters." I decided to make something called Blisters on My Sisters, and when I went to the kitchen to make it, this is what I came up with. I make the rice and beans mixture in a bowl because all my ingredients are hot all the time, but since you are probably starting with cold ingredients, I gave you directions for mixing the ingredients together over heat.

Traditionally, this dish was made with short-grain rice, Arborio or Carnaroli, that’s been boiled in salted water with a little oil, and that’s how I make it here. If you have leftover risotto, you can use that instead of starting from scratch with the rice. On the other hand, if you have leftover Bolognese sauce, you can skip making the ragù; all you need do is to add some peas and a little water to the sauce and simmer until the peas are tender and the sauce is dense, not runny. The recipe for the ragù below makes about 3 cups, approximately twice as much as you’ll need. Either freeze the remaining ragù for your next batch of rice balls, or enjoy the sauce over pasta like rigatoni or penne.

A bâtarde is a loaf of bread that is slightly thicker but shorter than a baguette. This version gets nice texture and flavor from cooked wild rice. Be sure to cook and cool the rice before making the bread.

Here is a good basic cereal. As baby gets a little older, you can add a few things to the cereal such as a tablespoon of banana puree. You can make this ahead and refrigerate it for a day or two—at most—or simply have the rice, barley, or oatmeal ground and ready to go.

This pudding has more protein than a basic rice pudding. Because of the whole milk and eggs, it is suitable for children only over one year old.

It's pretty hard to upstage bacon, but if you get your hands on some heirloom Carolina Gold rice, the granddaddy of long-grain rices in the United States, that's what you might end up doing. Lee cooks it uncovered, which allows the water to evaporate and thus concentrates the richness of the chicken stock and tomato juice.

Sofrito, a sautéed vegetable mixture that typically contains garlic, onion, and bell pepper, is used as a seasoning in much of Latin America and the Caribbean. Here, it flavors yellow rice. The color comes from annatto seeds—which have an astringent, slightly peppery flavor—heated in oil until bright red-orange.

Cinnamon sticks are made from long pieces of bark from various laurel trees that are rolled, pressed and dried. The type of cinnamon used in Thailand is from the Cassia tree. Cinnamon has a sweet, woody fragrance in both ground and stick forms. Rich in therapeutic essential oils, cinnamon warms the body and enhances digestion. It boosts metabolism and is thus useful for weight loss. It is also good for diabetes as it stimulates insulin production.

All of the components of this healthful one-dish dinner are roasted in the same skillet: The rice goes in first, then the salmon and broccolini. And they're all flavored with a lime, honey, and cilantro sauce. If desired, serve with lime wedges to squeeze over.

The slight spiciness of Gala apples and the decadence of homemade caramel sauce pair nicely with a creamy and not too- sweet vanilla rice pudding. Fuji apples would be another good choice for this dessert.

Risotto, the ultimate comfort food of Milan, heads south to sunny Rome in a revamp of a classic. Pecorino Romano—in place of the more traditional Parmigiano-Reggiano—brings a delectably briny tang, while crunchy radishes in a light vinaigrette provide a counterpoint to the creamy Arborio rice.