Radio Kitchen

One of the pitfalls of winter is the tendency to eat heavy, hearty food... which can end up putting weight on.  So, to lighten the load, we may want to consider eating lighter vegetarian fare.  Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, the sky is the limit for ideas since here in Maryland we have so many wonderful vegetable ingredients. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Growing up in Maryland back in the day, we were treated to the superb photography of A. Aubrey Bodine, who had a genius for depicting life on and around the Chesapeake Bay.  Some of my favorite pictures of his depicted watermen hauling in their catches of fresh local oysters.  Bodine always seemed to go out in the dead of winter, and as Chef Jerry Pellegrino says, we all owe a big debt of thanks t...

It's easy to get stuck in a rut with potatoes.  We all have our two or three favorite recipes... and then, that's it.  So just to give your imagination a jolt, we've come up with a few potato ideas that will get you moving on.   As Chef Jerry Pellegrino reminded me, there's more than baked potatoes and mash, right? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the season for the big roast, a time for festive dinners with close friends who enjoy a bit of hearty eating.  And of all the big dishes you can have, the king of them all is the Standing Rib Roast.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino, this truly is an impressive dish to present to your guests, particularly since there are options on which meat to serve. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

Because I've been feeling self-indulgent lately, I've been looking for excuses to have dumplings... and something.   It started with sour beef and dumplings, and of course after Thanksgiving I had to have turkey and dumplings.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino, I started getting curious about dumplings and I did a little digging. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At this festive time of year I bet  half the world is just itching to get into the kitchen and bake something really good.  This is season when all manner of specialty desserts come into play, and we end up using equipment and ingredients we won't touch for another 50 weeks.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino has a long list (which he's checking twice) of great baking ideas for the holidays. See omnystudi...

There's one quintessential Baltimore dish that gets my attention every time, and that's Sour Beef and Dumplings.  This is one of the great comfort foods I know and just thinking about it literally makes my mouth water.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino agrees, it's no secret that our Sour Beef and Dumplings is identical to the German national dish Sauerbraten. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

As luck would have it, I've been doing a lot of braising and stewing lately, transforming tough old cuts of meat into something succulent and wonderful.  As colder weather turned my thoughts to hearty soups, I fixed on split pea soup with ham.  And it didn't take Chef Jerry Pellegrino much thinking to figure out exactly what kind of ham I'm talking about.  Of course, it's HAM HOCKS . See omnystudi...

The Big Feast will be upon us next week, and I can't wait.  Every year I try to come up with something a little different for our dinner, and inevitably it's a side dish of some sort.  And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino reminds me, there's about a million clever ideas you can whip up, even at the last minute. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We were dining at Foraged, the local restaurant in Station North, and I was enjoying a mushroom soup.  As I was slurping away, I detected something else in the soup contrasting with the mushrooms.  It was lentils, and I had to smile, because this overlooked little legume is a favorite of mine.  Chef Jerry Pellegrino agrees with me, lentils are such a useful and versatile ingredient.               ...

It's plum season in Maryland a time when we can luxuriate in the sweet, tender juiciness of the fruit.  Plum trees do very well in our state, flourishing in the heat of a Maryland summer and relishing the downtime of a cold Maryland winter..  And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino points out, we are quite lucky that our orchard growers wholeheartedly embrace plums. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

Growing up in a 1960's suburban household without olive oil and garlic left a huge gap in my culinary training.  It took me some time to overcome my immature prejudices about garlic and get with the program. Something that Chef Jerry Pellegrino have in common, it is always at hand when we're cooking. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

      Market Report                   You'll never find a better time of the year to go to your local market than right now.  Just about anything that can grow in Maryland is on the farmers' shelves.  And what a sight it is!  And  as I told Chef Jerry Pellegrino, just walking up and down the aisles of the market makes you mouth water.                I started my stroll through the Waverly Market b...

Hand Pies                    I once heard a chef say that every cuisine in the world has its own variation of the empanada... and I believe him.  If you have access to flour, you are on you way to making something delicious and highly portable.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino, you are a big fan of what we may call generically, "hand pies".                Using a basic flour dough, the hand pie is nothi...

Garbanzo Beans                Quite often lately I've been looking for good recipes to take advantage of our fabulous Maryland produce.  And this  means I'm often looking for new forms of protein.  One thing that has captured my interest is the chickpea, or garbanzo bean.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, this basic little bean has about a million uses.               A little background. ...

As someone who really loves a little cheese with his wine, I appreciate the great change of pace that goat milk cheese offers. Marylanders are blessed with several goat cheese producers, including Fire Fly Farm and Cherry Glen. And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino knows, every weekend at the local Waverly market we can pass by the stand of Charlottetown Farm Goat Milk Cheese. We were happy to welcome the...

They may not be the most glamorous vegetables around, but radishes certainly know how to make their presence felt. That crisp totally unique flavor livens up any salad, and some of them are good enough to eat on their own with your morning coffee. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although it may be the Dog Days of Summer there's no reason to turn your back on something as delicious as pasta. Served cold with any variety of vegetables, a pasta salad is a great way to beat the heat. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you this is one of the best dishes for culinary improvisation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week we were talking about various cuts of Maryland beef. Today we want to continue the subject and talk about a beef dish that is a little bit edgy; and that would be Beef Tartare. Chef Jerry Pellegrino points out that since we are talking about raw beef, we should tread carefully here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As I remember it, one of the very first things I bought for my first grownup kitchen was a skillet. I think it was one of the first non-stick varieties and predictably I didn't really know how to use it and keep it in good shape. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Having just spent a bit of time in London, I came away with a renewed appreciation for that timeless tradition: pub grub. It was hard to talk me out of ordering yet another plate of fish and chips, especially with good English ale at hand. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the season of cool, sunny mornings, the perfect time for breakfast on the back deck. Alongside your cup of hot steaming coffee, consider having a plate of fresh homemade donuts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of my favorite desserts that my mother used to make for us was Upside Down Cake. I loved it and had no trouble wolfing it down, but I never got a clear answer from my mom about what was upside down about it. And I hope that Chef Jerry Pellegrino can clear this up for me. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prowling through the markets this past week, I was pleased to see a wide variety of greens showing up. This week I'd like to talk about several in particular that may not be in your regular arsenal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm AS. As a little kid I wasn't really allowed a whole lot of time in the kitchen, I guess because I was good at getting in the way. But there was one recipe I was encouraged to work on and that was cupcakes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.