Rice & Grains

The technique: Cornbread made with masa (the corn flour in corn tortillas) is the foundation for this Latin-flavored stuffing. < The payoff: Masa adds a natural sweetness to the cornbread. Timing note: The cornbread needs to be baked at least one day ahead.

Pilafs may be served at everyday meals but are grand enough for entertaining as well. If you like, you could add a generous pinch of saffron threads to the rice just before you cover it and let it simmer. You could also use chicken stock instead of the 22 cup water.

Happy Noodle Restaurant uses local farmraised hybrid striped bass, rated a "Best Choice" by Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch guide, for this Thai-inspired dish.

For this twist on classic risotto, The Kitchen uses farro (hence the name "farrotto") instead of rice. No endless stirring required!

This terrific dish is made in one large deep skillet. A sweet-spicy broth infuses the meat and the veggies with rich flavor. Ask your butcher to cut the ribs for you.

Bulgur can be found at natural foods stores.

L'Albatros brings a taste of France to Cleveland's University Circle neighborhood. Cassoulet, bouillabaisse—and even escargots—show up on the menu. But the restaurant also dabbles in other regions of the world. There are pizzas, a burger, and this delicious take on shrimp scampi, an American classic.

Once you start eating this rich, salty-sweet pie with its oat cookie crust, you won't be able to stop.

Cotton Row is full of local flavor. The restaurant, which is located on the city's courthouse square, is housed in a three-story brick building dating back to 1821. And chef James Boyce's menu keeps the local flavor coming, with dishes like this risotto made with butter beans, a southern staple. Crispy fried okra makes a fitting (and tasty) garnish.

THIS SABBATH RICE DISH, typical of Provence, reveals the history both of pilau or pilaf, as it is called in French, and of Persian Jews who settled in the area near the Camargue, the rice-growing area of southwestern Provence located on the triangle of land between the two major tributaries of the Rhône River. Jews, first by barge and later by boat, used the river to bring goods here from the Mediterranean. The word and the dish pilau come from Persia, taking various forms as the dish traveled around the world. In India, it became pulao; in modern-day Iran, it is called polo; and in Provence, pelau or pilaf. Rice, and therefore pilaf, traveled with the Jews to Provence, where many Persian Jewish merchants and scholars settled and lived until the end of the fourteenth century or even later. These Jews, who traded rice, cooked it for the Sabbath with fragrant spices like nutmeg, garlic, cumin, cinnamon, and saffron. Some scholars believe that Jews brought saffron to Europe from Asia Minor for their Sabbath rice. The late Karen Hess, author of The Carolina Rice Kitchen, repeatedly told me that Jews first brought rice to the Camargue. In their Inventory of the Culinary Patrimony of France, Philip and Mary Hyman relate that emigrants from the Piedmont paid a dîme of rice to noblemen in the year 1497. And although pilau and riz au safran are no longer particularly Jewish dishes in Provence, they are clearly rooted in the Sabbath tradition. This simple recipe is typically eaten on Rosh Hashanah, alongside a symbolic whole roasted fish with a Sephardic sweet-and-sour greengage-plum sauce.

Chef Max Mackissock of The Squeaky Bean in Denver takes a back-to-nature approach to ingredients: He uses produce straight from the garden at his restaurant or the farmers’ market the eatery hosts weekly. With veggies like that, who needs meat? This tasty vegan dish has plenty of protein, plus healthy carbs, thanks to whole-grain, fiber-rich farro.

This simple cake can be sliced and served or toasted before serving. For the best texture, use a medium-fine polenta.

Cornmeal and fresh corn are used in the creamy polenta. A green onion Dijon mixture is spread under the skin of the chicken before it's grilled.

If you're using a glass or metal pie dish instead of a deep-dish ceramic pie plate, be sure to keep an eye on the pie. It may cook more quickly. Baking the pie on the bottom rack of the oven ensures a crisp bottom crust.

Fresh and colorful, this vegetarian entrée is an ideal bring-along for a potluck supper. Quinoa, a delicate grain with a texture similar to that of couscous, cooks up in just 15 minutes. A complete protein, it's also nutritious. Look for it at supermarkets and natural foods stores. Smoked paprika can be found in the spice section of the supermarket.

Farro, an ancient variety of wheat, has a hearty texture and a nutty flavor. Here, the whole grain is tossed with bitter radicchio and earthy beets for a pretty, delicious, and healthful salad.

Asian sesame oil, which is made from toasted sesame seeds, has a deep amber color and rich flavor. You'll find it in the Asian foods section of the supermarket and at Asian markets.