Radio Kitchen

So it's been 3 years since the onset of Covid, and it seems that one of the upshots from the big lockdown was an interest in baking, especially bread.  And it also seems that quite a few people stuck with it.  Chef Jerry Pellegrino is a whiz at baking bread, and this week he has something a little different in mind. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In The Iliad, Homer speaks of the Greeks roasting lamb on a spit, and serving it at celebrations.  Thus, the entire idea of roasting lamb has had centuries to marinate, as it were, and take hold in different cultures in different ways.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino reminds me this is the perfect time of year to enjoy this venerable tradition. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's the middle of March, that maddening time of the year when winter just won't give up and spring just won't get here.  One of the few saving graces of mid-March is Saint Patrick's Day, with all its festivity and traditions.  And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you,  its a perfect time to delve into the deeply satisfying culinary traditions that make up Irish Cuisine. See omnystudio.com/liste...

I remember as a little boy I loved the story of Peter Rabbit raiding the turnip patch.  However, as plausible as that story is, I now think that what Mr. R was looking for were parsnips, a root vegetable that I consider to be far superior to plain old turnips.  Chef Jerry Pellegrino believe, like I do, that parsnips deserve a great deal more of our attention? See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...

In recent years there have been two parallel trends in drinking habits:  a return to keen interest in cocktails... many retro and many brand new... and their non-alcoholic cousins the "mocktail".  Chef Jerry Pellegrino is down with this and can tell us what this is all about. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In recent years there have been two parallel trends in drinking habits:  a return to keen interest in cocktails... many retro and many brand new... and their non-alcoholic cousins the "mocktail".  Chef Jerry Pellegrino is down with this and can tell us what this is all about. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While surfing through our thousands of choices on cable, I stumbled across the original episodes of "The French Chef" with Julia Child.  I immediately started watching those seminal shows, and immediately started learning things I didn't know.  And I hoped Chef Jerry Pellegrino would forgive me for not possessing Julia's encyclopedic knowledge of kitchen craft. Here are some useful tips. See omnys...

In recent years there have been two parallel trends in drinking habits:  a return to keen interest in cocktails... many retro and many brand new... and their non-alcoholic cousins the "mocktail".  Chef Jerry Pellegrino is down with this and can tell us what this is all about. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you've ever watched one of the competitive cooking shows on TV, every time a contestant is sent home they're told to "pack their knives and go".  Obviously knives are a cook's most personal tool, their own set of preferences for getting the job done.  We asked Chef Jerry Pellegrino, what do knives mean to a cook?  He concurred, saying that knives are a chef's most important tool.  However he th...

Since wine plays such a big part in my life, it should come as no surprise that I do cook with it from time to time.  Putting aside the jokes about "cooking with a glass of wine", I do find that wine can add a lot of a recipe.  And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino points out, there are a number of things to keep in mind when you start pouring wine into the pot. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

This time of deep winter often finds many of us tinkering away with cozy indoor projects that help while away the chilly hours.  For those who are culinary-minded, this is a perfect time to cook up some stocks for future projects.  And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino points out, making stock is perhaps something of a lost art that ought to be revived. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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...