Radicchio: This bitter red lettuce comes in a compact head the size of a small orange or apple. Also called Italian red chicory, its leaves are striated red and white and slightly bitter. A small amount adds a tangy taste and red color to salads; the Italians often serve it grilled. Rago?t: A French term for a rich, thick, well-seasoned stew, it is usually used to indicate a less-saucy mixture than your ordinary stew. Ramekin: Small, three to four-inch round container used to hold individual servings of baked or chilled, sweet or savory dishes, frequently a custard or mousse. Ramekins resemble small soufflÈ dishes; they are heatproof and generally made of glass or earthenware. Red flannel hash: This traditional New England dish is a corned-beef or bacon hash which includes beets as well as the usual potatoes and onions. Reduce: Reduce refers to the process of simmering or boiling a liquid until its volume is less than that of the original liquid. The process of reduction concentrates flavor and thickens by evaporating water. Recipe directions usually tell you how much to reduce the liquid. Reduced salt: In ìThe Nutrition Bible,î Jean Anderson and Barbara Deskins report that since the spring of 1994, a strictly enforced government definition states that for a product to be marked ìreduced saltî the salt content has to have been reduced by 25 percent from the normal product. Products that are already low in salt may not use the term. Refrigerator cake: A make-ahead dessert that has saved time and trouble for many generations of cooks. It is made by layering cookies or pieces of cake with pudding or whipped cream or both and chilling for several hours until the cookies or pieces of cake take in the moisture of the cream and soften. Fruit or nuts can be added as well. Remoulade: A cold, mayonnaise-based, French sauce that includes mustard, chopped pickle, herbs, and capers. It is served with seafood or combined with seafood or vegetables to make a salad. Rennet: Rennet is an enzyme extracted from the stomachs of calves and used to coagulate dairy products. Itís primary use is in cheese making but it can be used to make thicken desserts such as ìJunket.î Rhubarb: This vegetable is a member of the buckwheat family. Only its stalks are edible; the leaves contain oxalic acid, which is poisonous. The stalks are extremely tart and are generally cooked with sugar and/or other fruit (strawberries are a natural partner) in pies, compotes, chutneys and preserves. Field rhubarb, available from late winter through late summer, peaks April through June and is conventionally considered a harbinger of spring. It has pink or pale red stalks, yellow leaves and a more pronounced flavor than hot-house grown rhubarb, which has bright red stalks and green leaves. Rhubarb may be stored in the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic, for 3 days. Some supermarkets carry frozen chopped rhubarb in bags or boxes. Ricotta: A soft, moist, fresh or unripened cheese with a mild, slightly sweet flavor and a finer curd than cottage cheese. "Ricotta" is Italian for "recooked," a reference to the fact that it is made by reheating the whey (the liquid that separates from the curds during cheesemaking) from cow's-milk cheeses. Ricotta produced in the United States may contain milk in addition to whey. Delicious by itself, ricotta is an essential ingredient in Italian cheesecake, and in fillings for lasagna and various stuffed pastas. Risotto: An Italian rice dish, risotto is traditionally made from arborio rice that is sautÈed in olive oil, then simmered in a small amount of broth. The mixture is stirred constantly and additional boiling broth is added as it has been absorbed. A variety of seasonings, meats or seafood may be added to the resulting creamy mixture. Rock Cornish hen: This tiny bird was especially bred from Cornish and White Rock chickens. It was originally marketed at about 1 pound and used as a single serving, but Rock Cornish hens or Cornish Game hens can be found in the market up to 2 1/2 pounds these days. Rose hips: The deep red berries left on the bush after wild roses have lost their petals, rose hips can be used to make jelly and are used as a natural source of Vitamin C. Rosemary: This mint-family relative was originally grown in the Mediterranean region. It can be found fresh or dried and had silver-green needle shaped leaves. While rosemary is used to flavor many different types of foods, it is typically used to season lamb. It has the flavor of pine and lemon. Roux: A combination of equal measures of fat and flour that is cooked slowly until it reaches the desired color--shades from creamy white to mahogany. It is used to thicken soups, sauces, and stews, particularly in Creole and Cajun cooking. The darker the roux the more intense its flavor but the weaker its power to thicken. Rue: A strong-flavored woody herb used as a medicinal tea in the south. Used in cooking as a flavoring for cheese spreads, salads, and vegetable cocktails. Rusk: A double-baked cookie such as zwiebach, rusks are made from a variety of different yeast breads which are then sliced and toasted until crisp. Russian dressing: Not at all Russian, this American dressing is made from a basic mixture of mayonnaise and chili sauce to which may be added pimiento and a variety of herbs. Rutabaga: A large root vegetable of the turnip family, rutabagas have a delicate golden flesh and mild turnip flavor. They have also been called ìSwedesî as their name is derived from the words for ìrootî and ìbagî in a Swedish dialect.