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.

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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 because it was an improvised soup made from yesterday's left over minestrone.  Standard ingredients include torn-up bread, white beans, garlic, a leafy green vegetable and tomatoes, and in all authentic recipes, a chunk of parmesan cheese rind.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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 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.

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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 into that.

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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.

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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.

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