Radio Kitchen

Garbanzo Beans                Quite often lately I've been looking for good recipes to take advantage of our fabulous Maryland produce.  And this  means I'm often looking for new forms of protein.  One thing that has captured my interest is the chickpea, or garbanzo bean.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, this basic little bean has about a million uses.               A little background. ...

As someone who really loves a little cheese with his wine, I appreciate the great change of pace that goat milk cheese offers. Marylanders are blessed with several goat cheese producers, including Fire Fly Farm and Cherry Glen. And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino knows, every weekend at the local Waverly market we can pass by the stand of Charlottetown Farm Goat Milk Cheese. We were happy to welcome the...

They may not be the most glamorous vegetables around, but radishes certainly know how to make their presence felt. That crisp totally unique flavor livens up any salad, and some of them are good enough to eat on their own with your morning coffee. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Although it may be the Dog Days of Summer there's no reason to turn your back on something as delicious as pasta. Served cold with any variety of vegetables, a pasta salad is a great way to beat the heat. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you this is one of the best dishes for culinary improvisation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week we were talking about various cuts of Maryland beef. Today we want to continue the subject and talk about a beef dish that is a little bit edgy; and that would be Beef Tartare. Chef Jerry Pellegrino points out that since we are talking about raw beef, we should tread carefully here. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As I remember it, one of the very first things I bought for my first grownup kitchen was a skillet. I think it was one of the first non-stick varieties and predictably I didn't really know how to use it and keep it in good shape. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Having just spent a bit of time in London, I came away with a renewed appreciation for that timeless tradition: pub grub. It was hard to talk me out of ordering yet another plate of fish and chips, especially with good English ale at hand. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the season of cool, sunny mornings, the perfect time for breakfast on the back deck. Alongside your cup of hot steaming coffee, consider having a plate of fresh homemade donuts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of my favorite desserts that my mother used to make for us was Upside Down Cake. I loved it and had no trouble wolfing it down, but I never got a clear answer from my mom about what was upside down about it. And I hope that Chef Jerry Pellegrino can clear this up for me. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Prowling through the markets this past week, I was pleased to see a wide variety of greens showing up. This week I'd like to talk about several in particular that may not be in your regular arsenal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm AS. As a little kid I wasn't really allowed a whole lot of time in the kitchen, I guess because I was good at getting in the way. But there was one recipe I was encouraged to work on and that was cupcakes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On a past trip to France I discovered a little dish that I fell in love with. It’s known as “Oeufs en Meuette” or eggs poached in red wine. Every time I found it on a menu I would order it, and no two were the same. But they were always good. As I pointed out to Chef Jerry Pellegrino, this is sort of a European cousin of Eggs Benedict. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy info...

One of my favorite aspects of the American kitchen is how easily we delve into exotic cuisines these days. Personally, I've tried Indian cooking, Carribbean, Thai and Greek. But there is one that I like quite a bit, and that is the cooking of North Africa. Fortunately, our Chef Jerry Pellegrino is well-versed in Moroccan cooking. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

During the spring of 2020 a lot of folks were hunkering down during the early days of the pandemic, and trying their hand at baking bread. From my own experience I came to learn a lot more about flour than I knew before. Chef Jerry Pellegrino, is a well-known baker, and has a lot more knowledge about flour. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As reported on our show, I've been passing these cold winter weeks making one soup after another. One particular ingredient has been a mainstay, and that's the good old fashioned ham hock. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, this is one of those very useful remnant cuts of pork that pack a punch. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They used to say that the number of folds in a chef's hat represented the 100 ways you can cook eggs. Chef Jerry Pellegrino's farm boasts a hearty flock of egg-laying hens who have given him the raw material for exploring all those ways of fixing up eggs, Here are a few of those delicious egg-based recipes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the last few weeks I have been craving raw oysters. I don't always get into that mood, but when I do, my appetite becomes ferocious. However, I've discovered that not everybody shares my taste for raw oysters. So Chef Jerry Pellegrino has helped me to come up with a few other ideas if I'm going to invest in a few dozen crustaceans. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Part of the hearty approach to eating in winter is tucking into all manner of potatoes. Baked, roasted, mashed, worked into stews or fried up for breakfast, the possibilities go on and on. Chef Jerry Pellegrino has taught us, sometimes it's a matter of matching up the right kind of potato for the right dish. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the past few weeks the Holiday Season has seen us sitting down to all sorts of dinners, and chances are more than once the featured attraction has been a bird of some kind. And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino points out there's a lot more available than just good old chicken and turkey. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I know I'm a very old fashioned sort of geezer, and I accept that. And guys like me think good old Charles Dickens taught us how to celebrate Christmas pretty near perfectly. To wit: in my mind nothing captures the spirit of the holiday season better than plum pudding. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will agree this impressive dessert is shockingly easy to prepare... provided you understand a few key th...

For the past few weeks I'd bet that more and more often... soups have been appearing on our stove tops. The perfect antidote to chilly weather, a hot, steaming bowl of soup really hits the spot. Now there are dozens of ways to go about building a soup, but our Chef Jerry Pellegrino can make a strong case for a very traditional Italian approach. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Thanksgiving looming large this week, I thought that we might try to come up with an alternative menu that would take advantage of local food that is currently available in the market. Our co-host doesn't really care for a turkey dinner, so to honor Chef Jerry Pellegrino, I've put together an Autumn menu for this week's big feast that features four courses. See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

I've read that there is one thing that all societies have in common when it comes to food: if you have any kind of flour available in your kitchen, you make some sort of a dumpling. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino has been pondering these tempting little bundles of goodness. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With Thanksgiving just a couple of days off, we thought we'd give you some ideas for last minute desserts. You might want to serve something that is right at hand, easy to prepare and sure to please. And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino would suggest, one dish that fills all those criteria is baked apples. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A lot of us spent a portion of summer's closing weeks putting up and preserving that great Maryland produce. Now it's time to use it. A good tangy salsa is a great destination for, say preserved tomatoes, peppers and garlic, and what better way to enjoy a salsa than with a taco. Chef Jerry Pellegrino, give us some tips on fixing homemade tacos. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.