The Small Town Chef

A bright, make-ahead pasta salad with crisp vegetables, two kinds of olives, fresh herbs, and charred lemon vinaigrette. I first made this orzo salad for a family get-together filled with pasta lovers—Italians, of course. I made what I thought was more than enough. Apparently, I was wrong. By the time I went looking for a little to save for lunch the next day, the bowl was empty. And I made a double batch! That was probably the best endorsement I could have gotten. What makes this orzo salad a little different isn't necessarily the ingredients. Cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, olives, onion, and fresh herbs are all pretty familiar territory. The difference is how I put everything together. Instead of tossing cold pasta with dressing and hoping it eventually picks up some flavor, I dress the orzo while it's still warm. The pasta absorbs that charred lemon vinaigrette as it cools, giving it flavor from the inside rather than simply coating...

  A simple guide to better rice, from the right ratio to the final fluff. Rice seems simple. Rice. Water. Heat. Done. Except somehow it can still turn out gummy, crunchy, sticky, wet, dry, bland, or completely forgettable if the ratio, heat, timing, or resting period is off. That is exactly why rice deserves its own little kitchen lesson. This Rice 101 guide covers the basics every home cook should know: rice-to-water ratios, stovetop cooking, rice cooker adjustments, cooking liquids, toasting rice before cooking, seasoning, resting, cooling, reheating, and which type of rice to use for different dishes. Once you understand the basics, rice stops being a side dish you hope works out and becomes something you can actually control. Simple food. Done well. What Is the Best Rice-to-Water Ratio? The best rice-to-water ratio depends on the type of rice and how you are cooking it. As a general starting point for stovetop cooking: Jasmine rice : 1 cup rice to  1½  cups liquid Bas...

Creamy, buttery holiday mashed potatoes done the simple, stress-free way. If you want mashed potatoes that make the whole table go quiet for a second… this is the move. Yukon Golds are naturally buttery, naturally creamy, and a perfect canvas for all the good stuff. When you load them up with actual butter, cream, salt, and a little white pepper , they turn into that silky, dreamy mash everyone keeps circling back to “just for a little more.”    RECIPE DOWNLOAD   Ingredients (Serves 6–8) 4 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, rinsed, and cut into 1-inch chunks 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus extra if the mash tightens up ½ to 1  cup heavy cream, warmed (added gradually to desired creaminess) 1–1½ tablespoons kosher salt (potatoes really soak it up) to taste ½ teaspoon white pepper Water for cooking (salted generously)   The Method 1. Start in cold water — always.
  Here’s the rule: If it grows underground, it goes in cold water.
 Dropping potatoes into ...