Radio Kitchen

These days I couldn't be happier.  Football season is back and all the tradition and pageantry of the sport is in full swing.  And of course that includes tail-gating, that All-American celebration of sport and wretched excess.  I was curious what Chef Jerry Pellegrino might have to offer to the party? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In an effort to establish a healthier diet my wife and I have resolved to eat more fish.  I still have a lot to learn about cooking fish, but I am already pretty proficient in making sauces.  So I asked Chef Jerry Pellegrino, if a sauce for fish might be a good bit different than a sauce for meat, correct? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As an avid gardener I know how much pleasure my garden can be when it's in full bloom.  It's a feast for the eyes, and it always improves my mood just to gaze upon it.  My colleague Chef Jerry Pellegrino will take that concept of floral beauty one step further by putting some flowers right on the plate. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm very familiar with Chef Jerry Pellegrino's penchant for pickling late season produce to keep it available for the cold winter months.  But on the many cooking shows we watch; you always see competing chefs whipping up a pickle in just seconds... or so it seems.  So, I asked Jerry to tell me how is pickling for the table different? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During the Covid pandemic a lot of us tried our hand at baking and all around the country grocery stores were running out of flour and yeast.  Well, there's more than one way to bake a loaf of bread, and more than one grain we can use.  Chef Jerry Pellegrino, has dug back into history and came up with some ancient grains. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A while ago when we were in England, we had a wonderful dish the restaurant called "white bouillabaisse".  It bore a passing resemblance to the Provencal original, but it was a delightful take on it.   Chef Jerry Pellegrino helped me flesh out this idea of making this dish. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With cook-out season in full swing many of us are eager to move beyond simple burgers and hot dogs and try something a little more involved.  Enter the marinade, a popular method of increasing flavor in things that we grill while at the same time bringing a little tenderness into the picture.  As I told Chef Jerry Pellegrino, I know what a marinade is but I'm not sure how it works. See omnystudio....

With cook-out season in full swing many of us are eager to move beyond simple burgers and hot dogs and try something a little more involved.  Enter the marinade, a popular method of increasing flavor in things that we grill while at the same time bringing a little tenderness into the picture.  As I told Chef Jerry Pellegrino, I know what a marinade is but I'm not sure how it works. See omnystudio....

A few weeks ago we were having dinner with a friend who had cooked a beautiful leg of lamb.   Staying in a traditional mode, he also had prepared mint sauce, but this wasn’t the jelly kind, this was the real deal.  Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, when it comes to herb-based sauces, mint is just the beginning. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's no doubt about it; we love anything creamy that crosses our palate.  I can remember my first Panna Cotta in Italy, and I was immediately seduced by its rich creamy texture.  Chef Jerry Pellegrino points out to us, there are so many other ways of getting something creamy on a spoon.                One of the first great desserts you'll come across when you start dining out on French cuisine...

Every time I walk by Woolsey Farm's stand at the farmers market, I can't help fixing on the lamb and all the things I can do with it.  The lamb cubes in particular summon up images of  steamy Moroccan stews filled with succulent meat, copious spices and morsels of dried fruit.  Chef Jerry Pellegrino agrees with me: although many people may not try cooking Moroccan, once they try it they love it. S...

One of my biggest frustrations is that I have a hard time cooking fish.  I would probably eat a lot more of it if I knew how to cook it well.  So I asked for my buddy Chef Jerry Pellegrino to give me a few tips because it's still a big mystery to me. 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...

One of America's favorite snack foods is the taco, and we love it so much we even gave it its own night of the week:  Taco Tuesdays.  But it wasn't always so.  People used to think of it as a cheap Mexican street food, not worthy of our interest.  But Chef Jerry Pellegrino explains to us what happened to the humble taco that helped it capture our hearts? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...

Along with asparagus and strawberries, herbs are among the first things to arrive in the market here in Maryland.  A lot of farmers have been getting a head start on their herbs by starting them under cover in hoop houses, so they are available now, ready to use, or to grow at home.  And Chef JP agrees with me, this is a delightful way to add accents to your cooking. All across Maryland, farmers a...

A few weeks ago we were on the Eastern Shore when we had a local Tilghman Island treat:  oyster pot pie.  Now hold on!, I know some of you are saying, but if you haven't tried it, don't knock it.  And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino points out, there's a lot of directions to take the basic pot pie idea? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You don't have to listen very closely these days for the sound of bees buzzing around your garden.  It's the time of year when pollens are profuse (just check in with you allergies) and bees are busy making honey.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, there's more to honey than just drizzling it on your buttered biscuits. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I was strolling the aisles of our local Farmers Market last week when say big bunches of basil.  I immediately thought of two things: caprese salad and pesto.  To my mind, pesto is one of those dishes you make once, and then want to keep making.  Chef Jerry Pellegrino said we are lucky because this is the perfect time of year to get into the habit. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informati...

Years ago I was in Florence on holiday, and I was thoroughly enjoying the local cuisine.  One item that caught my eye was a soup called "ribollita" with a seeming endless list of ingredients.  I told Chef Jerry Pellegrino that I tried it a few times at different restaurants, and it was never the same way twice.                Interestingly, the name "ribollita" means "re-boiled" soup, primarily be...

What a long, glorious Spring we've been having.  I feel that nearly everyone is celebrating the beauty of the season, cutting bouquets of flowers and whipping up endless variations on asparagus or strawberry.  Our friends in Italy are certainly not immune to the charm of the season.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino is proud to say, they even have a dish named after this time of year. See omnystudio.com/...

Springtime is in full flood these days and our farmers markets around the state are chock full of wonderful things to bring home to your kitchen.  And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, this is a great time of the year to take your market basket... or your reusable plastic bag... and load up with some great food. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the Top Ten Favorite American Foods pizza ranks very high.  Since I'm constantly watching my weight, I don't have it as often as I would like, but when I do bring it home, I really chow down.  But lately I've been hearing more and more about folks making very respectable pizza at home.   Chef Jerry Pellegrino assures me, this be done with confidence. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

Shopping at the market these days is pure delight.  Many of our favorite foods are making their initial appearances, and we come home with market baskets sagging with all manner of good things to eat.  Chef Jerry Pellegrino  would say that Springtime is downright inspirational for the home cook. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 When I started hanging out with people who were much better cooks than I was, I kept hearing about something called "confit".  They fixed it every now and then right in front of me, but I couldn't quite figure out what it was.  So, I asked Chef Jerry Pellegrino to set me straight. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Any day now, Springtime is going to open the floodgates of brand new produce grown on Maryland farms, and we will be in for a treat.  Of course I think it's a wonderful time for fresh vegetable, as well as a good opportunity for using up any of the produce you canned up last Autumn.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino notes, since a lot of us are eating vegetarian meals more often, this season plays right...