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Featured Chef Jimmy Gherardi
Bio
Chef Jimmy Gherardi is the host of the acclaimed national radio show, Everybody's Cooking, which covers cooking techniques and trends with gusto. Originally broadcast in the Midwest and now reaching a nationwide audience, Everybody's Cooking has been honored with a James Beard Foundation Award.
Interview
What's new with your award-winning radio show "Everybody's Cooking"?
"Everybody's Cooking" has expanded to commercial radio and to markets beyond our original audience in the Midwest. We just started airing in Providence, Rhode Island. We still air the "Public Radio Show" on the X-STAR Network.
What got you interested in cooking?
I have been cooking since I can remember. To me, being a chef is not a job but my lifestyle.
Recently you were on tour with the Food Network Live. How have the popularity of the Food Network and the celebrity of all these new young chefs changed the world of cooking?
The Food Network has made the food world approachable to everyone. When you really thing about it, it's only cooking, and people want to know how to cook great food.
In the 20 years that you've been the Master Chef and chef/owner of J's Fresh Seafood in Cincinnati, how have cooking trends changed?
Cooking trends are like fashion, always something new. It is also interesting to see trends come back with a new twist. The most exciting change is how global food has become in the U.S. today.
Do you use pressure cookers at your restaurant? What do you like to make in them for the restaurant?
We use a very large pressure cooker at J's. Every day it is used for vegetables, rice and lobster.
Where do you go for great pressure cooker recipes?
You will be surprised what you can do in a pressure cooker, even desserts. My favorite recipes are from the Guru of Pressure Cooking, Lorna Sass. She has three great books out, Cooking Under Pressure, Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure and The Pressured Cook.
What else do you like about your pressure cookers?
I like saving time, and I like the flavor and texture I can produce using pressure cooking.
Do you have any tips for pressure cooking?
The number one tip is to read the instructions. When I first interviewed Lorna Sass about her book Cooking Under Pressure, I bought a pressure cooker. Being a chef, I did not need to read the instructions. I put a whole head or cauliflower in the pot with water, some chopped garlic, onion and a drizzle of oil. The goal was to have a beautiful whole head of cooked cauliflower to present at the table, but instead I produced a great cauliflower pasta sauce. The recipe is simple - just remember to overcook it. After this experience I read the instructions and I have bought several cookbooks on pressure cooking, and I still make my Cauliflower Pasta Sauce recipe on a regular basis.
What's your next big food-related project?
We are putting the finishing touches on a food show tour. The first stop will be Miami University on October 5, 2001.
More Info
Jimmy's Cauliflower Pasta Sauce
(Serves 4 people)
- Head of cauliflower
- 1 onion
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- Water
- Salt
- Pepper
- Romano cheese
- Linguine Pasta
- Trim green leaves and stems away from cauliflower. Wash thoroughly.
- Pour enough water in pressure cooker to cover base trivet.
- Place whole head of cauliflower in pressure cooker with onion, cut in half and garlic cloves in pressure cooker around cauliflower. Add salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Cover with lid and bring to pressure to second red ring over high heat.
- Adjust heat to stabilize pressure at second red ring. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and use quick release method.




