Radio Kitchen

June  3, 2014 - Radio Kitchen - Berries

One of the biggest cravings I have every spring is for fresh, local fruit.  Last year's apples are still available, that's true.  But I'm thinking of something a lot fresher and a lot juicier.  And it's just our luck that nature arranged for two succulent berries to be available this time of year:  strawberries and blueberries.

May 27, 2014 - Radio Kitchen - Greens and Vinaigrettes: Part One

One of the mainstays of the spring marketplace are salad greens.  These crisp, refreshing components of endless salad variations are among the first local items to arrive every year.  And when we start talking about building salads we should also talk about salad dressings, and in particular vinaigrette.

May 20, 2014 - Radio Kitchen - Primavera

I think in some ways this spring of 2014 is all the more welcome because of the severity of our winter.  For the last few weeks we've been enjoying wonderful weather, warm breezes and the miracle of our gardens coming back to life.  And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Waterfront Kitchen has observed, this long-awaited season of renewal ought to be celebrated somehow.  

May 13, 2014 - Radio Kitchen - The Herbs of Spring

Since the farmers' markets reopened this spring, one of the easiest things to find has been fresh herbs.  Now, herbs are great because they can be grown under cover, and a little bit of space can yield a lot of product. There are a lot of herbs out there to work with, but we don't always have an idea about what to do with them.

We also don't always have an idea how to preserve them for later use.

April 6, 2014 - Radio Kitchen - Spring Soups

Well, we've been to the market and we've seen what's available, and now it's time to come up with some ideas of what to do with all this Springtime food. And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Waterfront Kitchen has observed, there are few better uses than a Springtime soup for all this great produce. Here are a few ideas we've collected:

April 29, 2014 - Radio Kitchen - PICKLING, SALTING, AND BRINING

One of the frustrations of seasonal eating is that we can't always eat as much as we can buy; so the problem is, how can we save it to enjoy it later?  Salting and brining are two ancient techniques of preserving food, but sometimes the flavor changes are so significant that we might do it for the sake of the taste.  Chef Jerry Pelligrino of Waterfront Kitchen has thought a lot about this.

April 22, 2014 - Radio Kitchen - SPRING SALADS AND DRESSINGS

Spring is all about freshness, and the greens and salad fixings we are now seeing in the market are the epitome of that concept.  Salad making is to food what jazz is to music... it's all about inspiration, improvisation and going with the flow.  And so we thought it would be fun to hear a chef riff on this theme, and we invited Chef Ontaria Kirby of Clementine on the show.

April 15, 2014 - Radio Kitchen - MICRO-GREENS

When we dine out these days, there's something happening on the plate at good restaurants everywhere that might be easy to miss.  More and more chefs, and home cooks for that matter, are using something called "micro-greens" as ingredients and garnish. Easily mistaken for alfalfa sprouts, micro-greens are created during the infancy of an edible plant.  They usually have a wispy little stem and several small but flavor-packed leaves.  They are very easy to grow, requiring minimal space, and they come in a wide variety.

  April 8, 2014 - Radio Kitchen - Spring Potatoes

I'm unusually skeptical about the weather this year, and I wish I could feel more confident that spring truly has arrived.  In many ways this is like the beginning of a new year for us, with all of the springtime produce now in the pipeline.  And one thing I can't get off my mind are those lovely little tender white potatoes that we get this time of year.

April 2, 2014 - Radio Kitchen - Welcome, Spring

All right, the calendar page has turned.  It is officially April and it is well past the turn of the seasons, so let's have us some Spring!  The era of root vegetables, God bless 'em, is behind us, and the era of Primavera is at hand.  And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Waterfront Kitchen knows, cuisines all over the world know how to celebrate the coming of Spring.

 March 25, 2014 - Radio Kitchen - Creatures of the Deep   

Last week we talked about dishes from Spain that I hoped I would encounter when I go there next October.  This week we're going to cover some of the favorite foods of its neighbor, Portugal.  If you go online and peruse any Porutguese restaurant menu, you will find numerous references to octopus and squid.  And those of you who are veterans of spring break in Florida will remember another creature of the deep: conch.

Here is Jerry's favorite recipe for octopus, plus two other great recipes.

March 18, 2014 - Radio Kitchen -  Spanish Dishes

A little later this year I'm going to be going to Spain and Portugal, and in anticipation I've been looking up some recipes in my big book of Spanish cooking.  And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino of the Waterfront Kitchen knows, there's a lot to like about Spanish cooking.

March 11, 2014 - Radio Kitchen - Chowder with Chris Corbett
    
The question these days, of course, is will winter ever go away?  Right now a lot of us are suffering late winter blues, and we desperately need a cure. Which is exactly why we invited our friend Chris Corbett to join us.  He came by to buck us up with talk of chowder.

Chris is a native of Maine, and he carries his heritage with him wherever he goes.  During the winter months he loves to whip up a steaming bowl of New England style chowder (chow-dah, as he says) to keep body and soul together.

March 4, 2014 - Radio Kitchen - Raw Beef

Our topic this week may be something of a turn-off to some people, and something of interest to others.  Here's the deal:  every now and then, maybe once every two years, I get a hankering for a raw beef sandwich.  It's a taste I inherited directly from my father, so I think it's in my genes.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino of the Waterfront Kitchen tells me that every time he puts Beef Tartare on the menu, it sells out.

February 25, 2014 - Radio Kitchen - The All-American Casserole

As winter keeps its icy grip on us, more and more often we seek comfort from our family dinners.  Everyone has a short list of favorite dishes that warm the soul as well as the belly.  I love a simple dish my father taught me, cabbage and noodles, and my mother's old standby, tuna noodle casserole.  In fact the All-American casserole is classic comfort food, and Chef Jerry Pellegrino of the Waterfront Kitchen uncovered a few delicious recipes. 

February 18, 2014 - Radio Kitchen - Scalloped Potatoes

There's no denying that this is the season of hearty eating, and along with our big old rib roasts and roasted chickens, there has to be something else on the plate.  And few dishes say "hearty" as well as a nice steaming casserole of scalloped potatoes.

February 11, 2014 - Radio Kitchen - Valentine's Day

A little later this week we all have an opportunity to express our love to the one who matters most, and Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Waterfront Kitchen knows that cooking up something special for Valentine's Day is a wonderful way to say you care.

February 4, 2014 - Radio Kitchen - Pepper with Liz Nuttle

Pepper is called "The King of All Spices" and with good reason.  When you look at its place in history, pepper is right up there with beer, salt and sugar as the most significant foods of all time.  Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Waterfront Kitchen couldn't get along without it, and neither could I.  When I stopped to ponder pepper, I realized I knew next to nothing about pepper.  Which is why we asked our friend Liz Nuttle, owner of En Olivier fine oils and vinegars, to shed a little light on the subject.

January 28, 2014 - Radio Kitchen - Meatballs

Many of us who are of a certain age can remember a wonderful commercial for Alka Seltzer that launched the phrase, "speecie-spicy meatball."  Apparently, this little gut bomb could trigger a lot of discomfort which needed to be put to rest with a little seltzer water. 

 January 21, 2014 - Radio Kitchen - Councilman Mosby

January is a month of earnest resolution keeping.  The gyms are packed with folks who have made a commitment to lose a few pounds and get healthy.  This is a laudable policy, and I'm right in there on the treadmills.  But exercise is not enough.  Eating smart is part of the equation.  And Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Waterfront Kitchen is friends with a Baltimore VIP who is really down with this whole concept.

January 14, 2014 - Radio Kitchen - Oysters

As we suffer through some very nasty weather this winter, it's good to stop and think about the Watermen of the Chesapeake Bay who are going out day after frigid day to harvest their oysters.  We're in the heart of oyster season right now, and it's a good time to talk about a few of the things you can do with our splendid bivalves.

January 7, 2013 - Radio Kitchen - Dumplings

Welcome to Radio Kitchen, I'm Al Spoler.   A few weeks ago I made sour beef and dumplings for some friends, and it reminded me how comforting a dumpling can be.  These little balls of cooked dough are simplicity in itself, and their ability to warm the cockles of are hearts in all of proportion to the work it takes to make them.  And Chef Jerry Pelligrino of Waterfront Kitchen, winter is a great time to visit this topic.

December 31, 2013 - Radio Kitchen -  Root Veggies:  A New Year's Resolution

Welcome to Radio Kitchen, I'm Al Spoler.  With the New Year looming, we think we might have a way to help you make a resolution you might want to actually keep.  Two trends deserve honoring:  the Eat Local Movement, and the Eat Healthy Movement.  And Chef Jerry Pelligrino of Waterfront Kitchen, I'm happy to say that these two fine notions can be blended into one easy resolution:  eat more root vegetables!

December 24, 2013 - Radio Kitchen - Hors d'oeuvres for the Holidays

Welcome to Radio Kitchen, I'm Al Spoler.  Boy, the holidays are right on top of us and the pressure is building.  Not only do we have to worry about doing our part for big planned parties that friends are throwing, we have to deal with those wonderful spontaneous celebrations that pop up. 

December 17, 2013 - Radio Kitchen - Gifts

Welcome to Radio Kitchen, I'm Al Spoler.  It's quite fortunate that we still have a week left for shopping for the holidays.  I've still got a few slots to fill, and whenever I can't make up my mind, I think "kitchen."  And Chef Jerry Pelligrino of Waterfront Kitchen, this is a good opportunity to talk about what's out there.
 

December 10, 2013 - Radio Kitchen - Indian Pudding (with Chris Corbett)

Welcome to Radio Kitchen, I'm Al Spoler.  I was browsing through my Facebook the other day and I came across an article about Indian Pudding.  The gist of it was that Indian Pudding is little known outside of New England... which seems true because I didn't even know what it was.  So, Chef Jerry Pelligrino of Waterfront Kitchen, I decided to ask my friend Chris Corbett, a New England native and philosopher of food to come on and educate us about how it's done Down East.

December 3, 2013 - Radio Kitchen - Croquettes

Welcome to Radio Kitchen, I'm Al Spoler.  During my recent trip to Spain, I kept encountering a type of food that grew on me every time I tried it.  It was the "croqueta," meaning of course, "croquette."  I never knew what was going to be inside these little fried shapes.  Sometimes it was seafood, sometimes it was cheese.  There were pork croquettes, and something like black bean croquettes.  And Chef Jerry Pelligrino of the Waterfront Kitchen, we've never talked about these delightful little treats before.

November 26, 2013 - Radio Kitchen - Thanksgiving Maryland Style

We still have just enough time to do some shopping for Thanksgiving dinner, the day after tomorrow, and for those who want to carry through with a Eat Local theme, we would like to propose a few side dishes that are quintessentially Maryland.

November 19, 2013 - Radio Kitchen - Jerry's Italian Thanksgiving

We've got Thanksgiving coming up, and it's mandatory for a food show like this to give you some tips.  And so we will.  Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Waterfront Kitchen is simply not a big fan of turkey, so what does he end up doing in late November every year?

November 12, 2013 - Radio Kitchen - The Cassoulet Variations

As the Fall settles in for a long stay, we naturally start adjusting our eating habits to accommodate the season.  The brisk weather sharpens our appetites, and motivates us to get outdoors and scurry around.  The upshot is that our taste for more substantial fare increases, and the delicious South of France stew known as Cassoulet is the Grand Père of all hearty dishes.