3 1/2 cups water 2 teaspoons salt 2 cups long-grain white rice 2 medium onions, chopped 2 celery ribs, chopped 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 (28-oz) cans whole tomatoes in juice 1 cup water 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 1 1/2 lb large shrimp (21 to 25 per lb), peeled, deveined, and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces 1 cup thinly sliced scallion greens (from 1 bunch)

Bring water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil over high heat in a 4-quart heavy pot, then stir in rice. Cover pot, then reduce heat to low and cook until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove pot from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork, then keep covered. While rice is cooking, cook onions, celery, and bell pepper in oil and butter in a wide 8-quart heavy pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until pepper is softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes with juice, water, cayenne, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and simmer, uncovered, breaking up tomatoes with wooden spatula and stirring frequently to prevent scorching, until very thick, 45 to 50 minutes. Add shrimp and simmer, stirring frequently, until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Add scallion greens and rice and stir until combined well, then season with salt if desired. Cooks' note: Rice and tomato sauce, without shrimp and scallions, can be made 3 days ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled separately in airtight containers. Reheat rice in a colander or large sieve set over a pot of boiling water, covered with a dampened paper towel. Reheat sauce in pot before proceeding.

Bring 2 1/2 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt to boil in medium saucepan. Add rice and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until rice is just tender, about 45 minutes. Drain. Return rice to pan. Meanwhile, insert cloves into onion. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic; sauté until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add pancetta and sauté until crisp, about 5 minutes. Add lentils; stir 1 minute. Add 1 3/4 cups water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bay leaf; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until lentils are tender, about 35 minutes. Remove from heat (some liquid may remain in pan). Discard onion, carrot, celery, and bay leaf. Stir rice into lentil mixture. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.) Simmer rice-lentil mixture uncovered over medium heat until heated through and liquid is absorbed, about 6 minutes. Stir in parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Cut turkey meat off bone with a paring knife, then cut (or pull off) and discard tendons and skin from meat. Cut turkey into 1-inch pieces. Heat oil in a 6- to 7-quart wide heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook onion, bell pepper, and celery, stirring frequently, until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add meat, tomatoes, broth, water, salt, and cayenne and bring to a boil, covered, over high heat. Stir in rice and bring to a full rolling boil. Cover pot, then cook over low heat until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Let stand off heat, covered, 5 minutes. Stir in scallion greens.

Bring water, rice, lime juice, cilantro, and salt to boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 20 minutes Discard cilantro before serving.

Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over high heat until just smoking, then sauté garlic and frozen onions and peppers, stirring, until garlic and onions are golden, about 2 minutes. Add kielbasa and cook, stirring, until kielbasa is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add rice, wine, broth, saffron, and shrimp and cook, covered and undisturbed, over high heat until most of liquid is absorbed and shrimp are cooked through, about 6 minutes. Stir in cockles, peas, and olives and cook, covered, until cockles open wide, 2 to 4 minutes. (Discard any cockles that remain unopened after 4 minutes.) Remove from heat and let stand, covered, until all liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes.

Tomatoes Heat oven to 250°F. Gently toss tomatoes in 2 tsp oil with a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake on a nonstick baking sheet 1 hour. Puree tomatoes in a blender with lemon juice and 1 tbsp oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool. Zucchini Heat 1 tsp oil on medium heat in a medium pan. Cook garlic and half the onion until translucent; add zucchini and cook 5 minutes. Risotto Heat 1 tbsp oil in a medium pot on medium heat and sauté remaining onion until translucent. Add rice and cook 2 minutes. Gradually pour in wine, stirring until rice absorbs wine. Add broth 1 cup at a time until absorbed, stirring continually for 20 minutes or until rice is tender (add more broth if necessary). Once rice is cooked, stir in tomato puree, butter and cheese. Set aside. Scallops Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small pan. Salt and pepper scallops and cook both sides until lightly browned. Add tomatoes and sauté 5 minutes. Spoon risotto on plate and top with scallops, tomatoes and parsley.

For tamarind sauce: Place sugar, red wine, tamarind candy, onion, ginger, and garlic in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves and tamarind candy melts. Boil mixture until syrupy, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Add chicken broth and 1 cup water; simmer over medium-low heat until thick and syrupy and reduced to 1 1/2 cups, stirring often, about 1 hour. Strain. (Tamarind sauce can be made 1 week ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) For fried rice: Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add duck and sauté until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add leek, carrot, and mushrooms. Stir 1 minute. Add brown rice and stir until heated through, about 3 minutes. Add 1/4 cup tamarind sauce; stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in pea sprouts and serve.

Bring broth and 1 cup water to simmer in medium saucepan. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm. Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add rice and stir 1 minute. Pour 2 1/2 cups warm broth mixture into rice mixture; bring to boil, stirring. Reduce heat to low; cover pot and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Add remaining broth mixture to pot; bring to boil and stir 1 minute. Reduce heat to low; cover pot and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir in shredded Asiago cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Transfer risotto to bowl and serve.

Remove meat from chicken, reserving skin and bones. Coarsely chop 1 celery rib and put in a 6- to 8-quart pot along with chicken bones and skin, onion, parsley sprigs, thyme sprigs, bay leaf, and chicken broth. Simmer, partially covered, 1 hour. While broth is simmering, shred about half of chicken meat into 1-inch-long pieces (about 1/4 inch thick) to yield 1 1/2 cups meat, reserving remaining meat for another use. Cut remaining 2 celery ribs into 1/4-inch dice. Pour chicken broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing hard on solids with back of a ladle and then discarding them. Skim fat from surface of broth. Return strained broth to pot, then add carrots, diced celery, and rice and simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and rice is very soft, about 30 minutes. Stir in shredded chicken and chopped parsley.

Make rice: Wash rice in 3 or 4 changes of cold water in a large bowl until water is clear, then drain well in a large sieve. Bring 1 3/4 cups water and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil, then add rice and cook, covered tightly, over low heat until water is absorbed and rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered and undisturbed, 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork and transfer to a bowl to cool to warm. Make dressing and serve wraps: Purée all dressing ingredients in a blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Toss shredded chicken with lime vinaigrette. Put chicken and remaining wrap ingredients in bowls on a large platter with ginger dressing on the side.

Simmer shrimp shells and water, uncovered, in an 8-quart pot until liquid is reduced to about 12 cups, 15 to 20 minutes, then pour through a sieve set over a large bowl and discard shells. Stir together oil and flour in a 10-inch heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron) with a flat metal or wooden spatula, then cook over moderately low heat (do not use a high-BTU burner), scraping back and forth constantly (not stirring) until roux is the color of milk chocolate, 30 to 45 minutes. (As roux cooks, it may be necessary to lower the heat to prevent scorching.) Add onions, celery, and bell pepper and cook, scraping back and forth occasionally, until onion is softened, about 8 minutes. Scrape roux mixture into cleaned 8-quart pot, then add shrimp stock and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, then add tasso, salt, and cayenne and simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes. Add okra and simmer until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in shrimp and simmer until just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in scallion greens and salt to taste. Cooks' notes: • Andouille or other smoked pork sausage can be substituted for the tasso. Brown the sausage in a heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, then transfer to paper towels to drain. Stir into gumbo with scallions. • Gumbo improves in flavor if made 1 day ahead without okra, shrimp, and scallion greens and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Reheat, then proceed with recipe, adding and cooking okra and shrimp.