Herbs & Spices

Farro is a type of hulled wheat that has been cultivated in Italy for centuries. Look for it at gourmet shops and health-food stores, where it is also sold as spelt. Other grains, such as barley or bulgur wheat, can also be used; cook them according to package instructions.

We serve this creamy rice dish with grilled skewered shrimp and a spicy lime dipping sauce.

If you would prefer a simple lemon risotto, omit the asparagus and peas.

This island staple is also known as “Jamaican coat of arms.” Some people add chiles to make it spicy, but we like it mild and slightly sweet to complement the heat of jerk chicken. For this dish, there’s no need to soak the kidney beans before cooking.

To remove individual Brussels sprout leaves, cut the stem out of each sprout and gently ease apart all the leaves.

Pappardelle are long, flat, wide noodles; fettuccine or linguine work just as well. We recommend chopping the peas slightly before cooking them; otherwise, they have a tendency to roll off the pasta when you eat.

Similar greens—such as yow choy, also known as choy sum (which looks almost identical to bok choy but bears small yellow flowers), broccolini, or even regular broccoli—will work well in this dish if you can’t find Chinese broccoli. You can buy wide rice noodles at Asian grocery stores, or use the narrow rice noodles (often labeled “pad thai noodles”) that many supermarkets carry.

You can use six 2-cup gratin dishes to make individual servings. The baking time will be a bit shorter; cook until bubbling and golden.