Shrimp

Soup used to be an all-day, slowly simmered production. No more; today's fast pace won't allow it. Fortunately, the tinny, salty broths and soup bases of the past are being replaced by higher quality, tastier products with far less sodium than before. This quick Asian-style dish is satisfying with flavor accents you might associate more with a stir-fry than a soup. Bill Daley writes for the Chicago Tribune, which provided the recipe analysis. Quick Asian Shrimp Soup Makes 2 servings -- Total time: 33 minutes 2 tablespoons oil 3 cloves garlic, minced 2 green onions, minced, plus more for garnish, sliced 1 piece (1-inch long)

No time for food shopping during this busy holiday season? Keep frozen shrimp, tomato salsa, rice and frozen broccoli on hand for a no-fuss dinner. I prefer mild salsa in this recipe. If you like more fire, use a medium or hot salsa. Toss the shrimp with the salsa and cook the broccoli and rice together. I like to keep pine nuts on hand to add extra zip to recipes. Sprinkle some on the cooked shrimp. Most of the shrimp we buy is frozen and then defrosted for sale. Ask at the seafood counter for shrimp that is still frozen or grab a bag from the freezer case.

In some broiled-chicken restaurants, customers can build up an appetite watching their meal turn gently on a rotisserie before it is brought to their table. No such luck at Pollo Amigo. Here, the magic takes place behind the shiny silver doors of a refrigerator-sized oven. That's where the chickens are broiled over charcoal. When they emerge, their skins are deep mahogany, and so crisp they almost burst open at the touch of a fork. Hints of garlic, cumin and paprika provide a heady counterpoint to the mild flavor of the juicy meat.

Well-cooked beans are delicious, and they can't be beat as a thrifty source of rich nutrients. Packed with protein, vitamins, minerals and fiber, they play a starring role in cuisines from around the world. Canned beans are convenient, but they're often mushy and loaded with salt. Properly cooked from-scratch beans, on the other hand, are creamy and just tender enough. Tuscan Shrimp with White Beans Makes 4 servings 2 cups cooked white beans (navy, cannellini or lima) 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for serving (divided use)

Leaving the shells on shrimp protects the delicate flesh underneath from the searing heat of a skillet, an oven or a grill. Once cooked, the shrimp is more moist, more tender. Tastier, too, as the shell infuses the shrimp with extra flavor. Only problem: eating the shrimp. Some people just eat the shrimp shell and all (I often do). Others fuss around, prying the shell off the cooked tail with fork or fingers. Serve the shrimp with Asian noodles. Bill Daley writes for the Chicago Tribune, which provided the recipe analysis.

Baltimore Farmers' Market Under cover of the Jones Falls Expressway viaduct on Saratoga Street between Holliday and Gay streets -- 410- 752-8632 Hours: --8 a.m.-noon from the first Sunday in May through the Sunday before Christmas Eaters arrive early at the Sunday morning farmers' market in downtown Baltimore. In my 30 years of visiting this market, I have spent most of my time stuffing produce in a bag. But on a recent Sunday I changed course, prowling the market for cooked foods and chowing down on breakfast fare.

WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration responded to jitters over Chinese imports recently by banning some of that country's seafood because of contaminants, but the agency has failed to apply the same standard to seafood supplied from other large exporters that use the same chemicals and fish-farming techniques. Imports from Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia, for instance, have continued apace, even though fish-farming techniques in those countries are similar to those cited by the FDA when it issued an import alert in June targeting Chinese fish.

Inspectors normally visit restaurants three times a year, though more often if the results indicate problems. Reports show Hunan Manor in east Columbia has had a chronic series of health code problems. A report done last month found, among other things: a mouse behind flour and sugar containers. a live roach on the floor in a storage area. food items stored on the floor. a "pungent odor" in a food-preparation area. dirty floors and debris, and a dead roach in a closet. In a March report, food had to be discarded because it was stored at improper temperatures; dead roaches were found inside ceiling light fixtures; and another roach was found next to a wall fan. Previous reports contain occasional customer complaints of insect parts in food, broken sugar bags on the floor contaminated by rodents, small holes in walls in back areas that can allow rodents and insects entry and general cleanliness problems.

One of my brothers-in-law lives in Louisiana, where shrimp is easily come by and no budget-breaker. That's where I first ate this wonderful dish, universally referred to throughout the Deep South as Barbecued Shrimp, even though a grill doesn't come within a mile of the meal. This recipe is among the few shrimp dishes that doesn't mind if the shrimp came from the freezer. It's a great casual dish. Eating with your hands - peeling the shrimp, dunking the bread in the pan juices - helps everybody relax and have fun. Robin Mather Jenkins writes for the Chicago Tribune, which provided the recipe analysis.

For us, the best jambalaya brings together tender chicken, spicy sausage, vegetables, rice and tomato sauce to make a hearty meal. We tried four jambalayas from area restaurants. Here are the results. BEST BITE >>>Clarence's Taste of New Orleans 2131 Old Edgewood Road, Edgewood -- 410-612-0700 Hours --11 a.m.-11 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays; 11 a.m.-midnight Fridays; 4 p.m.-midnight Saturdays; 4 p.m.-11 p.m.