Simmons, the author of a host of user-friendly cookbooks and the "Healthy Cooking" column in Bon Appétit, here puts to rest the stereotype of rice as a bland starch served alongside Asian food. For those who thought a rice cookbook could only be a treatise on 1950's-style rice salads or a primer on How to Boil Rice, this vibrant, multicultural collection of original recipes should come as a welcome treat. Simmons's range is broad: Black Bean Chipotle and Rice Soup with Cilantro Cream rubs shoulders with Lamb Kebabs on Persian-style golden rice, Curried Coconut Rice with Cauliflower, Butternut Squash, Green Beans, and Cashews, and Hoppin' John; she also concocts a vast array of risotto and paella variations. An intriguing rice glossary covers the relatively familiar territory of basmati, Arborio and jasmine and introduces readers to the more obscure Bomba, Camargue and Rosematta grains. And while Simmons has built a reputation on lean, low-fuss recipes (such as her 365 Ways to Cook Pasta), she takes a detour with this book: these meticulous recipes often require several read-throughs and thorough preparation to succeed (the book also would have benefited from photographs). Still, despite its format problems, the book offers dazzling proof that rice will always be much more than a staple. (Jan.)
