Al Spoler
Host, Cellar Notes and Radio KitchenAl Spoler, well known to WYPR listeners as the wine-loving co-host of "Cellar Notes" has had a long-standing parallel interest in cooking as well. Al has said, the moment he started getting serious about Sunday night dinners was the same moment he started getting serious about wine. Over the years, he has benefited greatly from being a member of the Cork and Fork Society of Baltimore, a gentlemen's dining club that serves black tie meals cooked by the members themselves who are some of Baltimore's most accomplished amateur cooks.
His most rewarding immersion in cooking came through his work as a television director at MPT. Spoler served as off-line editor and assistant director on two series featuring the legendary French chef Pierre Franey. He also worked with Mexican chef Patricia Quintana, and with Bed and Breakfast expert Gail Greco on her series "Country Inn Cooking". Al says traveling all over the US visiting country inns and taping recipes that they prepared in little makeshift television kitchens was an incredible education.
Spoler's tastes in cooking are influenced by regional tradition and contemporary casual French fare. Never slavish to recipes, he is never happier than improvising a Sunday dinner with whatever ingredients come to hand.
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Riesling is one of the greatest grapes in the world, and Hugh thinks it is also very misunderstood. He clears the air with these three reviews.
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I was eating at an Indian restaurant recently, enjoying some naan bread with a dollop of tabbouleh. Since the main ingredient is parsley, it occurred to me that this is one useful herb. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, parsley shows up in a lot of things, and we’re lucky that it grows so well in Maryland. You’ll see it in every herb stand at the farmers markets.
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Hugh has uncovered an amazing little operation that allows wine enthusiasts to craft their own wine. It’s called, Tin Lizzie Wineworks.
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Of all the ways of cooking food, using water is probably the most basic. Before we had ovens and ranges, we had water and fire, and for early man, that was all it took. Chef Jerry Pellegrino can tell you, there are some tricks to cooking with water we need to know.
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Some people would say that the western French wine called Muscadet is the ultimate in dry white wine. Hugh defends that notion with a survey of some of the best.
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This is my favorite time of the year, especially for food. The Maryland harvest is in full swing, and our markets are loaded with all kinds of great food. And as Chef Jerry Pellegrino suggests, you’d better take a big basket to market these days.
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Not all California reds are labeled according to a single variety; many are fine blends of grapes that offer good flavor and good prices.
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Since most cooking is about applying heat to food, it’s sometimes beneficial to think about all the variations on that theme. Chef Jerry Pellegrino has boned up on this and can tell us what our options are when we haul out the old skillet?
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Santa Barbara is renowned as a premier source for Burgundian grapes pinot noir and chardonnay. Hugh takes a look at some of the leading pinots.
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When people travel, they not only dine in fine restaurants, but they also eat a lot of what we call “street food”. A few decades ago, visitors to Mexico discovered that the beloved taco had undergone some changes. And Chef Jerry Pellegrino will tell you, it was a great decision to incorporate deep fried fish into the classic taco.
