Radio Kitchen

I haven’t been shy about chowing down on fresh Maryland corn this summer.  Although I’ve been enjoying corn on the cob, I keep reminding myself that there are a lot of other ways to enjoy an ear of corn.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino agrees, if you can scrape those kernels off the cob, there’s a lot you can do. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As summer enters the homestretch we can begin to look forward to a new phase of the harvest.  This is the time when so many of our Maryland root vegetables come into play.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino agrees, these sometimes-forgotten veggies deserve a little attention. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Grilling season is in full swing and there is one cut of beef that does extremely well on the grill and that’s flank steak.  Maryland farmers who raise beef will always have some of this delicious cut on hand, and if you haven’t tried it, you ought to.  And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino has pointed out, grilling a flank steak does require a little bit of savvy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...

We Marylanders are perfectly situated to enjoy a summer favorite, the salsa.  What makes it so appealing to us is that the produce of August and September is just what we need to make great salsa.  Chef Jerry Pellegrino knows that the combinations of home-grown ingredients are endless.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Al studied history in college and never lost my appetite for it.   One thing that really appeals to me is the history of food and cooking.  And here in Maryland we have quite a few Food Historians.  And as he told Chef Jerry Pellegrino, one of my favorites is a local lady called Kara Mae Harris, who has written a wonderful book called “Old Line Plate”. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...

One of the tenets of cooking during the summer is to avoid using the kitchen oven for long bakes.  Thus, we fire up the barbecue grill and cook outdoors.  Every good cookout deserves a good dessert, and Chef Jerry Pellegrino has some ideas for desserts that require little or no baking that will tickle your palate. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Since the weather heated up, I found myself thinking back to vacations in San Juan, Puerto Rico.  I became very fond of churrasco (grilled flank steak) and a side dish of black beans.  Chef Jerry Pellegrino believes it’s wise to keep a few cans or a bag of dried black beans in your pantry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you’ve ever vacationed in Maine or down along the Gulf Coast, the chances are you’ve gone to a “Boil”, a feast of seafood and veggies all boiled in one big pot.  Here in Maryland, there is no reason we can’t do the same thing, and Chef Jerry Pellegrino has figured out what it takes to do your own backyard boil. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was watching a cooking show the other day and the chef was whipping up a pot of gumbo, that Louisiana specialty.  Not only did it whet my appetite, it got me thinking, why not create one that celebrates Maryland’s traditions.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, we have just about everything we need here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this, our big national holiday, we turn our attention to our backyard grills. The natural inclination is to go with hot dogs, burgers and maybe a little shrimp for the barbie. But there are so many other things that we can prepare on the grill that will really open your eyes. And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, this is when we let our imagination run wild. See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

When I was a kid my mother always let me pick out what kind of cake I wanted for my birthday.  From the time I was old enough to appreciate all the choices I settled on one in particular:  angel food cake… with cherry frosting.  We only had it once a year, but I loved it to pieces.  And I told Chef Jerry Pellegrino that light spongy snow-white cake is still a favorite of mine. See omnystudio.com/l...

As a whole-hearted supporter of local Maryland food and cooking, I not only cherish the food we grow, but I also truly honor the champions of the eat local movement.  Chefs like Nancy Longo and Spike Gjerde have been promoting the regional scene for decades, but there is one fellow we would like to single out.  And that would be Chef John Shields. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

If you stop to think about it, we probably enjoy pasta all year long.   As one of the most versatile foods in the world, you can take pasta in an endless number of directions.  The trick is in the sauce and what sort of additions you throw in.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you; it wouldn’t be wrong to say “summertime is a great time to enjoy pasta”.  Here are a few ideas Jerry came up with:...

One of the stars of our Farmers Markets these days is the summer squash.  Green ones, yellow ones, green and yellow ones, big ones, little ones… you get the idea.  With all of this delicious produce at hand we thought we’d share a few ideas for fixing it at home.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino, the summer squash is nothing if not versatile. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Not that many things in life are irrefutable, but there is one truism that stands up to scrutiny.  And that would be “bacon”, as in “bacon makes everything taste better”.  Kids love it, grown-ups love it, heck, even dogs love it.  So, there’s something going on there that we should look into.  Our friend Chef Jerry Pellegrino has been contemplating the true nature of bacon.                See omny...

It’s the middle of Spring and our farmers markets are in full swing now.  I visited our local market in Waverly last weekend and was struck by the sheer abundance of everything.  And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino points out, everywhere you look you see amazing possibilities. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the last few weeks, we’ve been concentrating on a whole slew of savory dishes that celebrate Spring.  Today we thought we’d delve into something on the sweet side, and indeed, we have settled on a well-known dessert that should be a staple in everyone’s kitchen.  I asked Chef Jerry Pellegrino, where would the Blues be without mention of the good old Jelly Roll?  It would be a poorer place, he...

Wrapping up our coverage of the culinary possibilities of Spring cooking, we thought we’d offer some odds and ends ideas for the most iconic ingredients of the season.  I asked Chef Jerry Pellegrino if we could whip up something with lamb, asparagus, strawberries, rhubarb, spring potatoes.  Probably very difficult he said, so let’s just take it one ingredient at a time. See omnystudio.com/listener...

Last week we talked all about Spring-time’s signature vegetable, the asparagus.  As it turns out we barely scratched the surface.  Spring is also the season for the king of mushrooms, the noble morel.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you that asparagus and morels are natural partners.  Whereas both are earthy, one has a sweetness to it and the other a nuttiness of flavor. See omnystudio.com/li...

As it happens, Maryland, and in particular the sandy Eastern Shore is Nirvana for asparagus.  This time of year, always brings a bumper crop of these delicious spears to the marketplace.  And every year we try to find new ways of cooking them.   And Chef Jerry Pellegrino, says it’s not too hard to find new ideas for this versatile veg. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Natives to these parts are well aware of a member of the onion family that seems to be virtually unknown more than 100 miles from the Potomac.  I’m talking about “ramps” and don’t feel bad if you know the name but have never tried them.  Chef Jerry Pellegrino loves them and says that our ramps are something of a regional delicacy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the arrival of Spring, I have started to cast about for new ideas.  For some reason, out of the blue, I wondered how Primavera is interpreted by Mexican cooking.  In general, we grow a lot of what we need for Mexican cuisines here in Maryland, and as far as Chef Jerry Pellegrino is concerned, the ideas came hard and heavy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I love watching a lot of the TV cooking shows, because not only are they educational, but they can also be very entertaining.  One show in particular tickled me.  The task at hand was to make home-made pretzels… and nobody could remember how to create the pretzel shape.  As it happens, Chef Jerry Pellegrino is very conversant with pretzels and can offer us a few tips. See omnystudio.com/listener f...

Spring has officially arrived and that triggers all sorts of events In the Maryland marketplace.  This is of course the season of lamb and many of us are dusting off our cookbooks, looking for recipes.  One of Chef Jerry Pellegrino’s favorite dishes is braised lamb shanks, which he used to cook to perfection at Corks. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

My mother was quite adept at whipping up great family dinners in no time at all.  One of her favorite dishes was that old stand-by, meatloaf.  I’m not sure what her recipe was but I do know it involved a lot of bacon and catsup.  Luckily for us, Chef Jerry Pellegrino knows quite a bit about meatloaf and is eager to share his ideas. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.