All Ingredients

This mild sheep's milk cheese is used more for cooking than snacking. It's great in salads or in pasta dishes. Look for it in Italian markets.

If made in Germany or Alsace, a Riesling is a very good, somewhat sweet white wine. If made in America, it's usually a so-so white wine that's usually made from Sylvaner = Franken Riesling, Gray Riesling and Emerald Riesling grapes, mediocre varieties which coast on the reputation of their superior relative, Johanissberg Riesling.

These are big pasta tubes with ridges. They're normally served with chunky sauces or baked in casseroles.

This pork and beef sausage looks and tastes like bologna. Germans like to heat it up and serve it with potato salad or bread.

This is a region in Northern Spain that's known for its economical and fairly good red wines.

This is a rice-shaped Italian soup pasta. The singular form is riso.

This plump white rice can absorb lots of water without getting mushy, so it's perfect for making risotto. The best comes from Italy. Arborio is very well-regarded, but Carnaroli, Roma, Baldo, Padano, and vialone nano = nano are also good. The highest Italian risotto rice grade is superfino. Lesser grades are (in descending order) fino, semi-fino, and commune. You can sometimes find brown risotto rice, which has more fiber and nutrients, but it isn't nearly as creamy as white risotto rice. Never rinse risotto rice--you'll wash off the starch that gives it such a creamy consistency.

Produced by Nabisco, these are the best-selling crackers in the United States. They're high in fat and sodium, which makes them a tasty foil for cheese or peanut butter. Cooks sometimes crush them and use them as a pie crust or topping for casseroles. The crackers are also used to make the filling for a mock apple pie, which contains no apples. Reduced fat and low sodium versions are available.

These chewy rice noodles are popular in southern Vietnam, where they're often served with seafood. They're usually sold as fresh sheets, which are either left whole or sliced into various widths. Rinse them in warm water before using, then add them to stir-fries or soups, or use the sheets to wrap meat fillings before steaming them.

Two distinctly different cheeses go by the name robiola: Robiola Piemonte is a fresh cheese that's often used on pizza, while robiola Lombardia is an aged, tan-colored soft cheese used for snacking. They are made from mixture of cow, sheep and goat’s milk.

Robiola Lombardia is an aged, tan-colored soft cheese used for snacking. It is made from mixture of cow, sheep and goat’s milk.

This creamy fresh cheese from the Piedmond region of Italy. It is made from mixture of cow, sheep and goat’s milk. It is often used for cooking, and it's great on pizza. It's also served as an antipasto along with olive oil and/or fresh herbs. Piedmont robiolas include Langhe Robiola = Robiola delle Langhe, Robiola di Roccaverano, Robiola di Murazzano, and Robiolina di Bosconero. These cheeses are hard to find in the U.S. Don't confuse this with robiola Lombardia, a soft cheese.

This is more like a leak than a garlic and shouldn't be confused with rocambole garlic.

This is a citrus-flavored liqueur that's based on rye whiskey. There's a piece of rock candy in every bottle.

This is the cheap, non-food grade salt that we throw onto icy walkways and use to make ice cream. It doesn't actually go into the ice cream, as some have learned the hard way, but rather into the wooden ice-filled tub that surrounds the bucket of ice cream. The salt lowers the freezing point of the ice, which causes it to melt. As it melts, it absorbs heat from the ice cream, helping it to freeze more quickly. Use a ratio of one part rock salt for every five parts of ice. If you're out of rock salt, other kinds of salt will also work, though you should use less since finer grains of salt can can be packed more densely into a cup than large chunks of rock salt. The biggest danger is that you'll use too much salt, which will make your ice cream freeze too fast and become crusty. When using salt other than rock salt, start with a modest amount and check the ice cream after you've churned it for ten minutes. If the ice cream is just beginning to firm up, you have the right amount of salt. If it's not yet firming up, you need to add more salt. If it's crusty along the sides of the bucket, then you've added too much salt.

This is more commonly found in Europe than in the United States.

This is a small, sweet, mild pepper that looks like someone stepped on it. It's fruity-tasting like a habanero, only not nearly as hot.

These very hot chiles look like tiny bell peppers and have black seeds. They have an interesting fruity flavor.

This moderately hot Peruvian sauce is made from rocoto chiles.

These are oat groats that are steamed, rolled, and flaked so that they cook quickly. They're often cooked as a breakfast cereal, added raw to granola or muesli mixes, or used to make oatmeal cookies. Regular rolled oats take about five minutes to cook. If you're in a hurry, try quick oats or instant oats. These have thinner flakes, so they cook faster

This is an entire boneless shoulder that has been rolled and tied. It can be braised or roasted.

Romaine combines good flavor and crunch, plus it has a decent shelf life in the refrigerator. It's the preferred green for Caesar salad. Green romaine is the most common variety, but you can sometimes find red romaine, which is more tender.

Romano is similar to Parmesan and Asiago, only it has a nuttier, sharper, and saltier flavor. Pecorino Romano is made from sheep's milk, Caprino Romano from goat's milk, and Vacchino Romano from cow's milk. It's often grated onto pizzas and pasta dishes to add flavor. Pecorino Romano is made from sheep's milk, Caprino Romano from goat's milk, and Vacchino Romano from cow's milk. Domestic Romanos aren't as well-regarded as Italian Romanos.

These are best used for baking and for making applesauce. They don't work well in pies.

This Mexican herb has succulent leaves and is used as a seasoning or cooking green, especially during Lent.

This flavored cream cheese is an inexpensive domestic version of Boursin.

This French sheep's milk cheese is considered to be one of the finest of the blue cheeses. Some Roquefort cheeses can be frozen successfully, others become crumbly (but still usable in salads). For best results, first cut the cheese into small (1/2 pound) chunks, and wrap each chunk in an airtight package. Thaw in the refrigerator, and use the cheese soon after it's thawed.

This Italian heirloom eggplant has sweet, mild flesh and a creamy texture. They're hard to find, but knowing cooks scoop them up whenever they're in season.

These rose or green fruits are pear-shaped and are said to taste like rose water. The seeds are poisonous.

This is similar to rose water, only it's far more concentrated. Indian cooks use it to flavor beverages and desserts.

This is used in the Middle East, India, Persia, and Southeast Asia to flavor desserts and beverages.

This is distilled from rose petals, and used in the Middle East, North Africa, and India to flavor desserts. Don't confuse this with rose essence, which is more concentrated.