Rice & Grains

A classic Greek soup that's thickened with eggs and spiked with lemon. Add some shredded rotisserie chicken and call it a meal.

Food editor Maggie Ruggiero was humming for weeks after enjoying a salad of fresh buffalo mozzarella, cucumber, and the Italian wheat called farro at the Manhattan restaurant Il Buco. She set about reimagining it, and her version’s accents—tender lettuce, basil, and a light, lemony dressing—beautifully complement the cheese. Since fresh mozzarella is the star here, it's essential to use the best you can find. We love the kind traditionally made in Italy from the milk of water buffalo for its custardlike texture and sweet, milky tang. Recently, some American producers have gotten in on the act as well.

The color yellow symbolized joy for medieval Arabs, who were cultivating saffron in Spain by 960 c.e. Sephardic Jews were equally inspired by the coveted spice, and golden rice became a holiday and Sabbath tradition. This version, made with basmati rice, is punctuated by caramelized onion, currants, and fried almonds.

Double this recipe if you want leftovers for rice bowls.

Sweet sausage will workin this springtime risotto, too; the final result just won't taste spicy.

Rice has pride of place at the Korean table, but Koreans have also long embraced the healthful properties of other whole grains like millet, barley, and oats. This combination is fragrant and delicious.

Homemade stock will make any risotto fabulous. Here, the delicate, springlike combination of leeks and peas is given texture and heft with the addition of calamari, turning it into a main course.

Cups of this calming grain tea, extolled for its digestive properties, are poured throughout Korean meals as Westerners would provide water. In the winter, the tea is usually served hot, while in the summer months, it comes cool or at room temperature.

This rich, creamy pudding is delicious served warm or cold. If you feel like dressing up the dessert a bit, add a cinnamon stick while the rice is cooking, or top the finished pudding with a sprinkling of raisins and a little freshly grated nutmeg just before serving.

Much of gumbo's complex richness comes from the very dark roux (a cooked mixture of flour and, in this case, oil) that thickens the soup. The longer the roux cooks, the darker and more flavorful it—and the finished dish—will become. This recipe calls for cooking the roux for about 15 minutes, but for an even stronger flavor, it can be cooked for up to 30 minutes over low heat, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Filé powder, an iconic ingredient in Cajun and Creole cooking, is made from ground sassafras leaves. It's available in the baking aisle of some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores. It should be added to each individual portion just before serving, or the gumbo will become stringy.

The sweet raisins and bits of smoky cheese studding this risotto make for an arresting contrast with the smooth, savory rice.

Who knew rolls could be so, well, adorable? But of course looks aren’t everything: They’ve got substance, too, with a satisfyingly salty crust—flaky sea salt has fantastic texture—embracing an enjoyably chewy, pretzel-like interior.

Increasingly available in supermarkets, the firm wheat protein known as seitan is mild in flavor and versatile in the kitchen. In this casserole, it takes on the earthy flavor of mushrooms, adding heartiness and heft.

Riz au Lait et Rosace d'Oranges The great rice pudding revival taking hold of Paris is an oddly quiet phenomenon. In interviews for this book, individual bistro chefs like Gérard Fouché were genuinely surprised to learn that dozens of their colleagues had also added a riz au lait to their dessert menus during the last few years. Hankerings for home-style throwbacks are universal: You will be among many instantly enticed by Fouché's creamy rice pudding.

Flaxseed is an incredible source of omega-3s.

This comforting, risotto-like take on kale makes a great vegetarian entrée, and it's also good topped with a piece of roasted salmon fillet. Farro is also known as emmer wheat. Be sure to buy semi-pearled, or perlato, which doesn't need presoaking.

Polenta makes a supercrisp coating for panfried chicken breasts. Here, it's crowned with wilted escarole and dressed with a bright and briny sauce.

Oltranti gives this dish a velvety finish with Franklin's Teleme, a soft, tangy cheese made in Northern California. If you can't find it, use a combination of mascarpone and Parmigiano-Reggiano.