Category Archives: Ask Chef Phyllis

Ask Chef Phyllis: The only time I think about or serve sweet potatoes is during the holidays. And I am tired of serving gooey, marshmallow–topped sweet potatoes to my guests for either Thanksgiving or Christmas because I find that most of them only take a taste to remember how sweet they really are. What do […]

Ask Chef Phyllis For years, our parents roasted a 25-plus pound turkey that my mom started to cook at 2 A.M. That very large bird was more often than not dry and tough. The side dishes saved the day. Momma made a delicious sausage and Italian chestnut dressing that was bread stuffing. Now with new […]

Ask Chef Phyllis: A few weeks back at a neighbor’s party, a friend who had been to Brazil mentioned that tapioca pudding was on almost every menu. I know I am dating myself, but the only time I ever ate and really enjoyed tapioca pudding was at the Automat in Philadelphia—and that was many years […]

Ask Chef Phyllis: My mother never told me of this season in a marriage—I call it “late-summer boring squash season.” My husband (my “can’t waste anything” backyard gardener) brings me ripe zucchinis, some plump as bowling pins and others as skinny as broomsticks, and stacks these and other late summer veggies such as small peppers, […]

Ask Chef Phyllis: What do I do with the four tablespoons of pureed pumpkin not needed in my recipe? I confess, I usually toss it in the trash after a week. When I make a recipe that leaves little bits of this and that, it makes me feel guilty about not putting leftover ingredients in […]

Ask Chef Phyllis: My dear mother was Portuguese, and my father was French. They worked in the textile mill town of Fall River. We were 5 children; I am the oldest and cooked for a family of 7 from about age 11. Time was always a factor in our lives, and my job was to […]

Ask Chef Phyllis: Fall is coming, and I love pears. Truth be told, I know very little about this fruit. Sometimes I have a pear and think it’s the best thing I ever ate. Sometimes they’re grainy and lack flavor. I’ve had pears poached in wine and they were so good, but I think they […]

Ask Chef Phyllis: About a year ago, a friend emailed me your Q&A column concerning his parents and their dining experience at the ’39 World’s Fair. We have a disagreement in our family over Shrimp Scampi since the ingredients in most recipes are nothing like what our grandparents ate at that same fair. They said […]

Yak meat is growing in popularity and availability. My friends in the know are all talking about it. They say it’s leaner than beef, just like bison, and doesn’t have any gamy taste. That’s a nice catchphrase. But yak meat is sweeter and has a depth of flavor—meaning it hits different taste buds on your […]

Summer is the perfect season to experiment with cultured frozen ice cream. Are you ready? How about a classic dessert from India called Shrikhand: rich, creamy Greek yogurt streaked with golden, orangey saffron threads and studded with exotic fruits and nuts. Inspired by this dish, at one of my cheese making classes about two years […]

Ask Chef Phyllis: I hear a lot about heirloom tomatoes these days. They’re very expensive in the supermarket, but I must admit…delicious. What is an heirloom tomato? Our short growing season limits heat-loving crops, so I buy them at farmers markets in the summer. Do you have some recipes using heirlooms? —Marianna Appledorn from Cottage […]

Ask Chef Phyllis: Once when visiting San Diego, we were invited to a beach party. This event was called a clambake. Everything was cooked by a team of men. It took hours and seemed to be a lot of work. But the food was delicious: potatoes, corn on the cob, clams, sausage, and I  know […]

Ask Chef Phyllis: I live along the coast of Maryland, and by June our waters are filled with all kinds of seafood. Of course, soft-shell crabs are the seasonal prize, and we enjoy them often. But I use blue rather than soft-shell crabs for soups and chowders too. Is there any difference between chowders and […]

Ask Chef Phyllis: I love all-you-can-eat shrimp and the shrimp festival at Red Lobster…I never miss an opportunity to get my fill. Though I should mention that the shrimp at these events are good but not great. Recently, my husband surprised me and took me to a little bistro that served shrimp in a wine-butter […]

Ask Chef Phyllis: It’s been a long time since I thought of making beets at home. They’re messy, with all that boiling in a big pot—plus they’re hard to peel and stain my hands. But I’ve heard recently that beets and beet greens are good for the blood. I like the taste of garden-grown beets […]

Ask Chef Phyllis: We live in a warm climate nine months of the year, but summertime we grill outdoors for sure and maybe dine inside when it’s humid. We tried your Chicken Breast Cacciatore 30-minute recipe for a quick, easy, elegant dinner with great results. I am ready for the second entrée to add to […]

Ask Chef Phyllis: Several  years ago, we backpacked through Northern Italy. At local homes or in little specialty restaurants, it was easy to find nutritious vegetarian dishes. The one that lingers in my mind was Riso e Formaggio, a dish baked in a casserole and served hot or cold. It didn’t have broccoli or spinach […]

Ask Chef Phyllis: Years ago I had a refrigerator magnet that displayed equivalent amounts for baking, like 4 quarts equal 1 gallon and other basic information that most cooks know already. Now I’m looking for a different kind of substitution chart that has more up-to-date equivalents. For example, healthier swaps such as a better fat […]

Ask Chef Phyllis: I am a native of Cornwall-on-the-sea in Great Britain. I haven’t lived there since 1976, but I remember how much seafood and fish were part of my daily life and daily meals. As a child, all of my early memories center around fishing off the rocks. I know none of the original […]

Ask Chef Phyllis: I remember fondly at Easter time my mother would make a rather large leg of lamb, with rich bread (dotted sometimes with colorful hard-boiled eggs) baked right in it. She called the lamb Easter Spring Lamb, but I think it was mutton, and she served it with mint jelly. She called the […]