Radio Kitchen

I happen to be an avid gardener and this year I intend to have a champion garden out back. As much as I love having a wide variety of flowers, there is one category I have never considered planting. And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino points out, a family’s garden isn’t limited to the great outdoors… you can put it on a plate and bring it in for dinner.

We’ve got a bag of corn meal in our pantry that gets used not all that often. But when we do use it, it’s ordinarily for that delicious side dish polenta. As simple as polenta is, it can be amazingly versatile. We wonder what will happen when Chef Jerry Pellegrino gets it in his hands.

I've gotten into a healthy habit this winter. At least twice a week I've been having oatmeal for breakfast, and I must say I'm enjoying it. As I asked Chef Jerry Pellegrino, how many variations on oat meal are there?

From time to time (mainly a few weeks before the holidays) I try to lose a little weight in anticipation of the good times to come. One snack that I rely on to get me through my peckish moments is beef jerky. And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino can confirm, we’re lucky that a lot of our local beef farmers are making it now, so it’s easy to find.

I’m in heaven these days because we are swimming in fresh picked corn. I tend to really load up on corn on the cob during those summer months when we can get it. But Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, corn on the cob is just the start… there’s so much more you can do with fresh Maryland corn. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino offers a primer on using summer corn.

When it comes to summertime grilling there are a lot of choices out there. Steaks, burgers, chicken, fish and veggies all come to mind, but there’s one protein that deserves a spot on the grill, and that’s sausages. And Chef Pellegrino will tell you, when it comes to sausages, we’re not hurtin’ for choices.

Shopping at the markets these days is pure joy. The produce is rolling in and we are spoiled for choices. One of the most eye-catching veggies out there are the summer squash, the zucchinis, the pattypan’s and all. Chef Jerry Pellegrino would encourage you to be taking advantage of them.

When I was a kid, I loved seeing the Three Stooges throwing pies in the face of innocent civilians. I really didn’t know what all the white stuff was on the pies, but it was many years later that I connected that wonderful stuff called meringue with that slapstick confection. Chef Jerry Pellegrino tells us it’s not too tough to make a good meringue?

I think a lot of us have discovered how easy it is to make home-made pasta. In fact, I’ve got a nice pasta machine that rolls out thin layers of pasta, with the option of cutting it into fettucine or spaghetti. But as Chef Jerry Pellegrino points out, there’s one very good pasta shape that doesn’t involve machinery, but it does involve a hands-on approach and that would be gnocchi.

I think a lot of us have discovered how easy it is to make home-made pasta. In fact, I’ve got a nice pasta machine that rolls out thin layers of pasta, with the option of cutting it into fettucine or spaghetti. But as Chef Jerry Pellegrino points out, there’s one very good pasta shape that doesn’t involve machinery, but it does involve a hands-on approach and that would be gnocchi.

When it comes to picking a starch for dinner, we usually vacillate between potatoes and rice. There seem to be a million ways to cook potatoes, but rice is a little bit more straightforward. The problem is, I rarely seem to get it just right. Chef Jerry Pellegrino has some ideas on how to prepare a good bowl of rice.

When I stepped outside last weekend, I was gratified to feel warmth in the air and sunshine in the skies: beautiful Spring weather. And so it was with great eagerness I made my way to the Baltimore Farmers Market under the expressway to see what our farmers have come up with. And as I told Chef Jerry Pellegrino, the joint was jumpin’.

With our long-awaited Springtime finally at hand, it’s a good time to mentally shift gears and begin to cook a little differently. Various foods that we haven’t had access to all winter long are now available, and Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you that spinach is leading the parade.

It’s the season for festive dinner parties and there are few main courses more extravagant that a Standing Rib Roast. This is perhaps the premier cut of beef, and getting it just right is something of a noble obligation. I asked Chef Jerry Pellegrino to give us some tips on preparing this showstopper.

When I was in Italy a few weeks ago I had a marvelous dish that was nothing more than a simple white bean stew in a creamy white sauce. And as I told Chef Jerry Pellegrino, it was memorably tasty.

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.

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.

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.

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.com/listener for privacy information.

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/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.

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.

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 to those intrepid watermen who manage to get the job done despite conditions that would terrify the rest of us.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 omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

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 things.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I've been spending a lot of time with our slow cooker. There is something very appropriate about sitting around the house while the kitchen throws off mouth-watering aromas hour after hour. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, one of the most tempting things you can prepare is good old pulled pork. But of course you don't have to use a slow-cooker.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some tips for the culinary science of baking.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.