Ragu the true name for the Bolognese Sauce which has acquired international currency, especially in Spaghetti alla Bolognese. In Bologna, the home of this sauce, it was first used for a baked pie of Lasagna, not as sauce for spaghetti or other Pasta Asciutta which is the commonest form today. The original ragu was made without benefit of the meat mincer, and the meat was chopped into smallish chunks. Nor did contain tomato, which did not arrived from America until later, and even then was only grudgingly accepted, even now a correct ragu bolognese has only light tomato flavour.

The principal ingredient is always minced meat, usually beef, cooked with chicken livers, unsmoked bacon, onion, celery, tomato puree, and wine.

Prickly pear also called Barbary pear, cactus pear, Indian pear, Indian fig, or tuna fig, is not a kind of pear or fig, but comes from any numerous Cacti of the genus Opuntia. These are all native to the drier regions between Central America and the great deserts of the USA, but some have become firmly established in the Old World, especially around the Mediterranean, in India, and in Australia.

Prickly pear fruit are generally eaten fresh and raw. Good ones are tender and pleasantly sweet, though lacking in acidity, so a squeeze of lime or lemon juice  helps. They need to be peeled and it is advisable to remove the spines from the peel first. The original North American Indians way of doing this is to pick the fruits in the early morning while the spines are still wet with dew and soft, and rub them in sand to remove them. Otherwise, the fruit is best attacked with a knife and fork. The rind comes away easily. The seeds are no more troublesome than grape pips.

French lentil – also Puy lentil. A dark green French lentil, which varies in size, it is highly regarded and is considered the best of its type, because, like the green ( or continental) lentil, it retains its shape when cooked. Originally grown in Puy, France, it is now grown in Italy and North America. Excellent for soups and salads.

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Unlike the lemon cucumber, I’m very familiar with purple beans. I look forward each summer to buy them, more then anything I love the color. The down side, if you want to preserve the color serve them raw, because as soon as they hit the hot water they turn green.

There is a first time for everything. I had not a clue that such cucumber existed until I visited someone farm. So, you would think cucumber with a lemon taste yum, no, tasted exactly like a sweet English cucumber. I forgot to ask, but probably the name comes from the look of it, a small lemon.