The Ricco Kitchen

You are probably asking yourself, “what is goop?” Goop is my family’s word for a stewy, ragu-like concoction. Basically, the kind of dish that you need bread or biscuits with because you have to dip the juices up. I am the butt of jokes when it comes to goop dishes because I will load my plate up, and still dip in the main dish. I like to call it a self-preservation technique…basically, I just love to eat.
The great thing about goop is you can make it with anything really. For example, we altered this edition by adding our leftover potato leek soup from a couple nights ago. We are a big leftover family. Make enough for a few nights, then you always have something to munch on, or add to the next nights meal somehow!

This is by far one of my favorite soups. The savory roasted garlic coupled with the ham and leaks is incredible. It’s a thick, heart warming comfort food – great for cold weather! Also, if you happen to have leftovers, you can also make a chicken and vegetable stew!

Roasting garlic is simple and yields one of the most savory and delicious ingredients for other recipes, such as potato leak soup, roast garlic mayonnaise, garlic bread, etc. Roasted garlic has a much mellower flavor as most of the pungency is roasted away. It is also transformed into a butter-like paste. You just squirt it out of the paper!
This takes about an hour, and it’s well worth the wait! I’m an addict.

If you’re in a hurry and want some simple, tasty meat as an addition to dinner, check out these pork chops.

Ladies, this is the way to a man’s heart. If you can cook a good roast or a good steak, you will surely appeal to the inner carnivore. Be careful, he may even start grunting or belching or otherwise acting like a neanderthal.

To make any kind of roast, it’s important to remember that meat keeps cooking after you take it out of the oven. Because of that, it’s really important to use a meat thermometer – especially for beef if you want it rare and delicious. This roast beef is not any kind of intricately seasoned dish, but the timing and temperature ensures the entire roast is cooked to perfection.

I really got into baking in college- go figure. I think maybe it was a combination of a need for comfort food and also because I loved sharing with people. It’s a great feeling to see the look on a roommate’s face when they’re frustrated from studying for a test, and you bring up a plate of warm cookies. I originally made this recipe without the oatmeal- for that recipe you’ll see the second set of ingredients. The process is exactly the same except with slightly different amounts of ingredients, and of course, the original doesn’t use oatmeal.

This delicious and incredibly tasty breakfast (or brunch, or dinner) is really fairly simple once you get the hang of cooking them in the skillet (or if you happen to have one, a crepe pan). The great thing about crepes is you can stuff them full of anything: maple syrup, whipped cream, fruit, peanut butter, eagle brand milk (sweetened condensed milk…mmmm), nuts, caramel, ice cream and the list goes on.

This is a super simple recipe using a leftover ham bone. So, after most of that holiday ham is devoured, you can take the bone and leftover ham scraps and make a tasty soup. I don’t know about you, but I LOVE soup when it’s cold outside. Unfortunately, for some reason it was 70°F outside today and there is a tornado warning. Yes, I said tornado warning…in southern New York. Well, we can eat this inside bundled up and pretend its cold outside.

Leftover update: If you make a cup of white rice, or even take some leftover Chinese white rice, add it to your leftover soup in a pot and warm up on medium low heat- it turns into a delicious thick stew!

If there is one meal that my family is known for, it’s chicken cutlets. Dad once made over 200 for my brother’s playoff soccer game in high school. We made chicken cutlets for my graduation party. When we make cutlets, it’s an event. They are great right out of the oil or 3 days later right out of the fridge. If you have the time, make a lot at once and you have snacks/lunches/meal options for a whole week. You can freeze them too.

Today is my Dad’s 55th birthday. I made him a Jack and Jill pound Cake and of course, a delicious, mouthwatering, yummy dinner: Honey Mustard Crusted Chicken Breast on a bed of Apples and Onions. I made a side of spinach sauteed in oil and garlic. This recipe serves four with one chicken breast each.