Rice

An easy and scrumptious twist on the classic rice pudding from Habitation Lagrange in Martinique.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

(Thai Jasmine Rice) In Thailand, jasmine rice is nearly always cooked with just enough water to first boil and then steam the rice, and without salt or oil. Jasmine rice from Thailand is preferable, but you can substitute long-grain aromatic rice grown in the U.S.. As the rice cooks, it fills the house with its scent and the promise of good food to come. Those who have a rice cooker should measure the rice, wash it well, and cook it according to the manufacturer's instructions. If there are no water-to-rice proportions marked on your rice cooker, use the measurements set out in the recipe. This recipe was created to accompany Grilled Beef Salad , Thai Eggplant Salad and Chicken Stir-Fry with Holy Basil .

At Thanksgiving, rice stuffings are standard on many southern tables. This one, a combination of white rice and wild rice, gets more regional notes from collard greens, pecans and ham.

A fabulous all-in-one dish, similar to paella, from Lucques in Los Angeles.

Brewed green tea is a delicious, aromatic broth for scallops in this refined rendition of Japan's ochazuke, or "tea rice." The comforting soup-like dish evolved from using hot tea to rinse out rice bowls at the end of meals. Serve this as a light lunch or as an appetizer, followed by teriyaki-marinated chicken or salmon and some steamed Asian greens.

Diced apple, dried apricots and golden raisins accent this 30-minute entrée.

Here's a simple do-ahead salad that travels very well. It's also great as a side dish for grilled chicken or beef.

In Alba, and throughout the region of Piedmont, a pumpkin-like squash called zucca is found on many fall menus. Butternut squash substitutes nicely here.

One surprise to Europeans who settled the plains was the abundance of wild mushrooms, including morels, chanterelles, and other varieties familiar from home. Free for the picking, the mushrooms were hung on strings and dried, providing a winter's worth of eating. Wild rice (actually a grass seed) is a New World native that combines well with the earthy mushrooms the French cèpes. (The Italians call them porcini, and they are easier to find than cèpes, which is why we call for porcini in this recipe.)