Radio Kitchen

As winter grinds to a close we all look forward to St. Patrick’s Day, the annual celebration of all things Irish as well as the impending arrival of spring.  Our Irish friends are nothing if not traditional, and their big day has a number of foods associated with it.   Chef Jerry Pellegrino can give us some leads on eating Irish. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’ve been eating big bowls of pasta all winter long, and although we vary the shapes, all that tomato sauce can get a little boring after a while.  Well the good news is that our Italian friends have dozens of alternative sauces that don’t even have a trace of the “pomodoro” in them.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, it’s not a sacrilege to make a tomato-less pasta sauce. See omnystudio.c...

There is one variety of soup that you could argue should only be eaten in winter, since it is the very picture of a hearty bowl of warm comfort.  And that would be a chowder, a beloved staple of New England winter life that of course can be enjoyed anywhere… and possibly any time.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino knows this is a soup that’s good for the soul. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

 The middle of winter can be a tough time to get through, but it is an ideal time to sit back and go over the basics.  When it comes to baking, there are several techniques that are indispensable, and Chef Jerry Pellegrino is here to take us back to culinary Boot Camp. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nearly every day my wife and I ask each other, “got any ideas for dinner?”    As all grown-ups know, you gotta’ eat, and you’re probably gonna fix it yourself.  So here’s a suggestion.  Open the fridge and pull out all the veggies you can find, and voila:  you have the makings for a healthy vegetarian soup.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino, that collection of vegetables will vary from season to season....

There was a time when everybody seemed to be afraid of cooking eggplant.  Rumors were rampant about bitterness and annoying seeds and the difficulty of cooking it well.  As it turns out, that’s all a lot of nonsense.  Our colleague Chef Jerry Pellegrino is eager to set us straight on eggplants. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Here in the bleak mid-winter, we Baltimoreans are lucky to have so many traditional dishes to keep us warm and happy.  One dish is so closely associated with our hometown as to be known nation-wide as Baltimore-Style Sour Beef and Dumplings.  As Chef Jerry Pellegrino will confirm, this is one of the tastiest and most comforting regional comfort foods that we know of. See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

 Of all the most popular cuts of beef, one stands above the others as the most desirable, and that would be the loin.  The cut is expensive and is revered by many.  But it is a much more complicated piece of beef than you might think.  Chef Jerry Pellegrino explains all you need to know about this intriguing bit of meat. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Occasionally the time of year, one’s list of favorite foods and the traditions of one’s city all coincide to conjure up the perfect meal.  In this case, in mid-winter, here in sauerkraut loving Baltimore, lovers of Alsatian cuisine can cook their way to heaven.  And to Chef Jerry Pellegrino, we could only be talking about one thing:  choucroute garnie. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy infor...

I’ve been lucky enough to travel in Europe quite a bit in recent years and I’ve enjoyed many wonderful meals and impressive glass of wine.  At lunch time I may be tucking into a fresh tuna-salad and it occurs to me that the canned tuna I’m eating is really good.   I asked Chef Jerry Pellegrino, is it true that European canned fish is something super? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

So, the holidays are behind us and I’m willing to wager that one near universal resolution is to lose a little weight.  In addition to hitting the gym with regularity, I would suggest adding more vegetarian dishes to your diet.  And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, if you do it right, you’ll never begin to think you’re depriving yourself of anything. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

 Not all holiday feasts have to center on platters of roasted meats or poultry.  There is a simpler, and in many respects, more intimate way of dining, and it involves little more than cheese and bread.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, fondue is one of the more sensual ways to dine, in my opinion. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Holiday season is upon us and that means we can expect lots of dinner invitations.  If you’re wondering what to bring to help things along, may I suggest a home-made pumpkin pie.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino agrees that a well-made dessert, made from scratch, is always welcome? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

All of us want to sit down to a dinner of tender, flavorsome food, and there are many ways to pull that off.  One of the most reliable is braising, which is the long, slow cooking of meat in a savory bath.  It sounds simple, and if you know the tricks, it really is.  So, Al is hoping that Chef Jerry Pellegrino will share with us some of the essentials of preparing a good braise. See omnystudio.com...

Having just gotten back from a two week trip to Portugal, and I have all sorts of stories to tell.  Not the least of them are my stories about the food and wine I tasted.  All of the restaurant food we ate seemed to have been prepared from family recipes, perfected by generations of grandmothers.  As I told Chef Jerry Pellegrino, a few of these really stuck in my mind, and so I’m going to try them...

Chances are most of us have a younger person or two in our lives, and not all of them are adept at the ins and outs of running their own kitchen.  Stocking up the pantry with the basics is a crucial step.  So, Chef Jerry Pellegrino has come up with a list of helpful things we can get for these novices. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and a lot of us are looking for some new ideas.  Although it may not be part of everyone's traditional dinner, a lovely bowl of hearty autumn soup is a welcome idea.  And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino has noted, the makings for good Thanksgiving soups are all around us. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I would guess that in the kitchens of people of a certain age you're bound to find a cast iron skillet tucked away somewhere.  Many are cherished heirlooms, while some are newly purchased, which I think is a wise investment.  So, I asked Chef Jerry Pellegrino what do we need to know about cast iron?   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is a certain restaurant in Baltimore that I like to visit for lunch, and nearly all the time I start off with the same dish:  avocado toast.  It's so light and tasty I can't resist it.  I told Chef Jerry Pellegrino I decided I'd try to make it at home, and it turned out to be a bit trickier than I thought. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Anyone who has watched any of the dozens of baking shows on TV has marveled at the flaky magic of multi-layered dough.  There seems to be several types in play here, so I asked Chef Jerry Pellegrino, to teach us the different kinds and how to make them? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is prime time for our Maryland farmers markets.  We still have a fair amount of summer produce hanging around, and the best of the autumn harvest is just arriving.  I paid a visit to one of Baltimore's markets this past weekend, and  as Chef Jerry Pellegrino knows oh so well, the joint was jumping. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When it comes to shopping for squash, we are definitely in a transition period.  Yellow and green zucchini are still around, but the winter squash are rolling in.  The nice thing about winter squash is that they are sort of hollow inside.  And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, that means they are ideal for stuffing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

That little nip in the air reminds me that it's time to start adjusting our daily menus.  It's the perfect season to introduce a little warm, tasty treats to the breakfast table. So we can't blame Chef Jerry Pellegrino for thinking about biscuits and gravy? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Okay, so the kids have been back in school for a few weeks and the thrill has rubbed off and now they're kinda bored with the whole thing.  So that means it's time to break out the big old mixing bowl and get the young un's to help whip up a bunch of cupcakes.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino, I doubt there is anything that brings out more of a kid's creativity than making cupcakes. See omnystudio.com/l...

While baked beans are rarely the star of any meal, they quite often are the favorite supporting dish.  Canned beans are just great, but I'm struck by how easy it is to make your own, and custom tune them to your own taste and creativity.  To Chef Jerry Pellegrino, the concept of baked beans does allow for endless variations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.