Radio Kitchen

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.

With the holidays coming the opportunities for family fun are abundant. With the kids hanging out getting underfoot, it's a good idea for parents to have some kind of group activity to keep the young people occupied and happy. Chef Jerry Pellegrino can tell you from experience, home-made pizza night is a great idea. And who better to talk about the intricacies of pizza than Will Fagg of Tiny Brick...

With Thanksgiving approaching it's time to take a look at recipes for side dishes that might get you out of your ordinary rut. Perhaps the most emblematic vegetable for this season is the butternut squash, which is among the most versatile items in our pantry. Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, this tasty winter squash just begs to be doctored up. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat...

So the days have gotten really short, and the night has gotten so much longer, and I for one am standing in the need of a little comfort. When Chef Jerry Pellegrino told me he wanted to talk about bread pudding, I was all ears. In my book, bread pudding is pure comfort. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week Al started talking about his excellent Italian adventure in Piedmont, in the foothills of the Alps. One of the most exciting parts of his trip was a visit to the Il Melograno Cooking School in Turin where Chef Giadda Bosco presides. He had a lesson in making fresh pasta from scratch, and he found it a humbling experience. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A few weeks ago we were looking for something different in the protein department for dinner, and my girlfriend Vickie suggested we make some meatballs. So I bought the fixings and made them up, and they were pretty good, but Chef Jerry Pellegrino tells me could have done better. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Watching a Ravens game is very much a sacred ritual for me. I have to have my man cave set up just right. I have to have the right beverage and of course, I have to have the right food. So of course several times a season I fix up some hamburgers for the crowd. They're usually pretty good, and nobody complains. I told Chef Jerry Pellegrino that I could be doing better. So he came up with just a fe...

It's no exaggeration to say that Mexican and Hispanic food have become well established parts of our cuisine. Folks who have traveled south of the border have encountered incredible variations on the rudimentary dishes we can get here. One of the most popular of authentic dishes to emerge is fish tacos. Chef Jerry Pellegrino points out that Marylanders should be thrilled to find another use for ou...

These last weeks of summer are some of the best for the enjoyment of local produce. Every vegetable under the sun is out there, and there simply isn't a better time to enjoy fruit. Apples, peaches, pears, plums, and melons and crying out for love. Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, one of the best things you can do to capture those fruity flavors is to learn how to make sorbets and granitas. See...

This is the season of the tomato avalanche. At markets, grocery stores and in your neighbor's backyard, tomatoes are coming up like nobody's business. Al asked Chef Jerry Pellegrino, 'what are you supposed to do with a paper bag containing 20 red ripe tomatoes?' His answer: make gazpacho. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's no secret that our Maryland farmers are cranking out the year's best produce right now. Every time Al visits the market and sees table after table of gorgeous fresh vegetables, he starts ransacking his brain for ideas on how to cook and serve it. Chef Jerry Pellegrino has said that one place to look for inspiration is the Mediterranean, where fresh vegetables are the cornerstone of cooking. S...

Maryland farmers are now producing an incredible variety of exotic and delicious melons. As Chef Jerry Pellegrino has learned, there is a lot to choose from. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What a great time of the year for fans of Maryland's farmers markets. This is high summer, and the stalls in the marketplace are groaning with fresh produce. Al made a tour of the Waverly farmer's market last week and took some notes. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, at this time of year, if you can't find it in the market, you probably don't need it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...

There's a vegetable out there that is sadly neglected and as far as Al is concerned, it's an undeserved fate. The poor little radish isn't feeling much love these days, which is a shame, because it is a very tasty little veg. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Al and Chef Pellegrino give some ideas for summer salsas you won't be able to stop snacking on! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.