rice

There's a reason why foodies are so fanatical about ramps; the wild leeks are the first sure sign that Spring has arrived, especially in areas home to a long Winter. But be aware of their short season: the minute ramps arrive, the window on their availability is already beginning to close.

If you're not deterred by garlicky breath, uncooked ramps have a pungency that adds punch to homemade pesto. Or, enjoy them in a mellower state, as I like to do, by sauteing their stalks and greens until translucent, and slowly melding their sweetness into a rich, creamy risotto. The recipe, when you continue reading.

When it comes to making Latin cuisine at home, I normally cook Americanized dishes like nachos. However, at a restaurant, I eat more traditional dishes that involve a side of rice and beans. While the beans vary, sometimes they're refried pintos other times they're saucy black, the rice is almost always Spanish rice. It's orange and has a distinct tomatoey taste.

My friend Emily has been making her grandmother's Spanish rice for years and with Cinco de Mayo on the horizon, I begged her to finally share the recipe. The secret is the tomato sauce. It gives the rice a delicious al dente texture and rich comforting flavor. To get the easy technique to this humble side you'll enjoy over and over again, keep reading.

While making shrimp étouffée for Fat Tuesday, I thought of a great tip that I learned for plating rice. When serving grains like rice, quinoa, or couscous as an accompaniment for a saucy dish or stew, I like to pack them tightly into a mold, then invert the mold so the rice comes out in a uniform mound. I usually reach for a small ramekin, coated in oil — it's another great function for a piece of servingware that I normally don't get much use out of.

I can't take credit for it; it's a trick that I learned from my friend Chef John of Food Wishes. But it is brilliant. What are your favorite plating tips?

Couldn't make it to Mardi Gras this year? If you're lamenting the fact that today's Fat Tuesday and the French Quarter's a plane ride away, then do what I like to do. Bring the purple, green, and gold to your kitchen instead with a comforting platter of saucy shrimp étouffée.

Although some variations of the seafood recipe take hours to cook, enjoy a snappier version, since tonight's a school night. While the tomatoes and aromatics simmer together, steam a bowl of grains in the rice cooker (dabbed with a bit of butter, of course) so everything's ready to hit the table at the same time. Settle in with an Abita, some extra hot sauce, and your party hat, and you'll be ready to dig in! Click through for the quick recipe.

Red beans and rice is a dish that is native to Louisiana. Traditionally it's enjoyed on Mondays because it's a one-pot meal that makes use of leftovers from Sunday's family dinner. The important thing to remember is that the beans must be soaked overnight, therefore a little planning is involved when making it.

It also requires time because the beans simmer with pork, vegetables, and aromatics for two hours. The resulting dish is hearty soul food that's filling and flavorful. Four different kinds of pork — bacon fat, ham, ham hocks, and smoked sausage — infuse the beans with an amazing richness.

To take a trip to the Bayou in your own kitchen, all you have to do is make these red beans and rice! Here's the recipe.

Recently I sat down with a group of people to conduct my first-ever sake tasting. The event was hosted by SakeOne, a craft sake brewer that's based out of Oregon and known for producing award-winning and fun-flavored sakes.

The tasting paired 15 sakes with different artisan cheeses also from the beaver state. As I took my first sip of the grassy, smooth, vanilla-ish Momokawa Diamond, I realized that I didn't know very much about sake.

Here are 10 facts that I learned from the experience.

1. Contrary to what I was taught in college, the appropriate way to sip sake is not hot and dunked into a mug of beer, but rather, cold. In Japan, sake is served chilled. Because heating it will mask the flavor, if sake is offered hot, that means it's poor quality, bad-tasting sake.
2. All sake needs a special mold to ferment. It's called the koji mold. At SakeOne, they hand-mix the koji into the rice to help break down the starches.
3. The water that's used to make sake is more important than the rice. Only the purest of water can be employed, as it directly affects the taste and quality of the sake.
4. Although sake is known as rice wine, its production is more similar to beer than wine.
5. To make a batch of sake, the entire process of brewing, fermentation, and maturing takes three weeks.

Keep reading for more things you may not know about sake!

For an exceptionally easy meal, I love to roast a whole chicken and bake brown rice. Everything is cooked in the oven and in no time, you have a simple dinner. But, reheating the leftovers for the next couple days isn't appealing, so I livened up leftovers by making a scrumptious stuffed poblano.

While the peppers roast, the filling can be quickly prepared by caramelizing onions and garlic. Cook down the fresh tomatoes and season, then toss in your rice and chicken to warm. Assembling the peppers requires little time in the oven — just enough to melt the cheese. Voilà: spicy and scrumptious leftovers! Get the recipe now.

Make the most of surplus food by changing up supporting flavors and cooking techniques. Last night's easy seafood paella and tonight's shrimp and scallion stir-fry are both healthy, quick-cooking, gluten-free shellfish stunners, but they couldn't please more different sides of the palate.

Enjoy a traditional Chinese stir-fry combination — shrimp and scallions — tossed in a smoldering wok with garlic, hot peppers, and a squeeze of lemon juice for acid. Serve over a bowl of steaming rice with soy sauce on the side for dipping; from pan to plate, you'll only need 15 minutes. Ready for dinner? Then get the recipe.