Radio Kitchen

The other evening as I came in from walking my dog I was eager to put the damp and chill behind me and tuck into something that would warm the old belly. As luck would have it, Vickie had just whipped up a big pot of turkey chili, so all was right with the world. Chef Jerry Pellegrino thinks we have reason to believe that every household across America has its own special recipe for this oh-so-sat...

It's fall and the air is filled with footballs which means I am thinking about appropriate food for watching the Ravens play. This time of year I always end up talking to Shane Hughes of Liberty Delight Farm to see if he's got any bratwurst to sell. I'm glad to say he always does. But why stop at bratwurst? As Chef Jerry Pellegrino would say, let's talk sausage. See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

Even though summer is officially gone, we still will have weeks of pleasant warm weather waiting just ahead. It certainly is way too early to pack up the barbecue grill, so to encourage you to keep it fired up, we have a dinner in mind that is easy and fun to make. It's one of Chef Jerry Pellegrino's favorites, that great grilled meat dish, churrasco. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

Although they're with us for most of the year, sweet potatoes seem especially in season these days. As the summer heat gives way to autumn coolness, the sweet potato seems to be at its best as the first frost draws near. Chef Jerry Pellegrino has pointed out, we Marylanders are fortunate that sweet potatoes do so well in our native soil. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's the middle of September and our Maryland pantry is overflowing with incredible locally produced food. And it's so enjoyable to run through the list of our favorite Maryland foods and dream up delicious dishes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's been a great growing season here on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. Backyard gardeners are reporting bumper crops which in turn give rise to the question "what do I do with all this produce?" Chef Jerry Pellegrino has come up with a few very creative ideas about how to handle all that produce. Think bread. Not your standard flour and yeast bread, but bread made with vegetables. Think pumpki...

This is that glorious time of the year when we are awash in tomatoes. They're piled high at the market and friends with carefully nourished backyard tomato plants are dropping off paper bags stuffed with their prized produce. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino agrees, our first inclination is to use tomatoes in a salad, but we can also whip up some very easy and tempting dishes using cooked tomatoes. See o...

Last week we put on our baking hats and whipped up some summer fruit cobblers, short cakes and tartlets. Today we'll keep those baking hats on our heads and cross over to the savory side of the street. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino tells me there are a lot of things we can do with Maryland produce that work well with batter and dough. Jerry is thinking about quiches, tarts, empanadas, and pot pies, al...

Every week when I go shopping at the farmers market I pass by the fruit stands and start wondering how I can use all those beautiful peaches, pears and plums. Not only will I be eating them out of hand, but I will be doing a little baking that will put them to use. Chef Jerry Pellegrino has three ideas for baking a little fruit into our desserts: cobblers, shortcakes and tartlets. See omnystudio.c...

Very few things make me as happy as a fresh, chilled Maryland melon. To me it's the perfect way to start the day or to ward off the heat of mid-summer. Chef Jerry Pellegrino shares my enthusiasm, and is delighted by the sheer number of varieties of melons we have here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you accept the idea that grilling and barbecue are not the same thing...grilling is fast cooking over high heat, while barbecue is a long, slow cooking process using indirect heat...you'll realize that some days you just want to go long a slow and let time be your featured ingredient. And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino points out, sometimes you just don't want to rush things. See omnystudio.com/liste...

Stand on your pack porch any evening these days, and that sound you hear is folks firing up their grills. Wait a little while and that aroma that comes wafting through the air is the succulent smell of food roasting over a hot fire. Chef Jerry Pellegrino is a master griller and before he slaps that steak down on the grill there are a few things he does in preparation. See omnystudio.com/listener f...

Last week we made a report on what was available at our area farmers markets, and on top of the list were salad greens. It may seem hard to believe but you can still stroll past the stands and see things you've never seen before. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will point out, you can still get your old reliables but there are an amazing number of choices out there. See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

A lot of people in the Baltimore area are confronting the corona virus pandemic with trepidation. There's a lot of conflicting opinions swirling around, complicated by inconsistent facts. When it comes to shopping for food we seem to be in a true quandary. While many people are going to grocery stores armed with face masks and hand sanitizers, many are also reluctant to chance it. I would like to...

When you talk about root vegetables, you might be thinking about autumn and early winter. But springtime has its own crop of veggies that come to us from under the soil, and no kitchen should be without them. Chef Jerry Pellegrino has a lot of ideas on what to do with these familiar treats. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One thing about the quarantine. I've heard that a lot of us are indulging our sweet tooth more than usual. Personally, I can tell you I do get a bit peckish around about 4 in the afternoon, which happens to be is what the English call tea time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I think a lot of us are not dealing with food supply and menu planning quite the same way we did a few short months ago. We're making fewer trips to the grocery store and spending lots of time surfing the web for new recipe ideas. We're also casting a speculative eye at pots and bowls and containers of leftovers. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, when it comes to re-purposing food our refri...

While we've been in hunker down mode, I've been spending a lot of time with our slow cooker. There is something very appropriate about sitting around the house while the kitchen throws off mouth-watering aromas hour after hour. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, one of the most tempting things you can prepare is good old pulled pork. But of course you don't have to use a slow-cooker. See omn...

During this period of lockdown and social distancing, a lot of us are starting to feel like pioneers living on the prairie. Since we are making fewer visits to the grocery store, we are doing more planning for stocking up on the essentials we need to keep going. Chef Jerry Pellegrino, has given this some thought and has put together a good list. Jerry believes that a well chosen pantry is better t...

As we all work to get through this period of social isolation, we can still count on a few things to buck up our morale. And what could be more comforting than a big bowl of home made soup in the evening? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With spring just days away, it's not to early to start thinking about renewing one of the season's most succulent dishes, roast leg of lamb. You can go two ways with this roast, either bone-in or boneless. As it turns out, both Chef Jerry Pellegrino and I prefer the flexability of the boneless cut, although there is a time and place for a big old bone-in leg of lamb. See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

In the middle of winter, hundreds of intrepid Maryland watermen motor into the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries to go fishing for oysters. Nearby oyster farms are currently turning out a record haul, keeping hungry Marylanders well supplied. And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino would tell you, of all the wonderful way to eat oysters, none is as famous or mysterious as Oysters Rockefeller. See omnystudio...

With Valentine's Day right around the corner a lot of us start thinking about shopping for some kind of sweet treats for our sweethearts. So if a box of candy says something, imagine what a box of homemade sweets would say. Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, this can be a very rewarding project to take on. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Valentine's Day is nearly here, and a lot of folks are looking for novel ways of saying, "I love you". Last week we talked about how to make your own candy. Today we're going to continue the discussion with some advice on how to throw a little kindling on the fires of romance. And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino points out, history is filled with examples of foods that wishful thinkers claimed would prov...

It's Christmas Eve and a few of you out there still may not have solved the problem of what sort of special treat can you whip up. Well, may we take a page out of the Old English cookbook and suggest creating a nice trifle to lay before the family. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.