Joanne shares with us her emotional connection to Spain. She begins by preparing Salmorejo, a cold tomato and bread soup she first discovered in Southern Spain, and then works with her student Joan to overcome his fear of cooking lamb by preparing a hearty lamb, white bean, and chorizo stew with a spicy infused olive oil drizzled over the top.
Joanne welcomes her student Geoffto class with a quick and easy salmon and pickled onion pizza. Then together they explore the idea of contrasts of flavor, texture, and color, making lemon turkey cutlets and an arugula and orange salad.
Joanne greets her student Sarina with a bruschetta salad and it is quickly apparent Sarina is the perfect student for dishes that are simple enough for a weeknight, yet elegant enough for Saturday night. They recreate the vinaigrette from the salad, discover how easy it is to cook clams, and finish with a warm blueberry maple compote melting over vanilla ice cream.
It's a party when Joanne and her student Cheryl get together. Joanne adds a sweet crisp twist to classic guacamole, shows how to improve a store bought stock to elevate tortilla soup, and then the party really begins with muddled cherry margaritas.
Most people, including Joanne, absolutely adore salmon. She begins by nestling salmon rillete in endive, and then, with her student Jerry, bakes salmon in the ultimate symbol of love, a paper heart.
Inspired by dishes made in her classes in Italy, Joanne introduces her student Reggie to bagna cauda, rigatoni with chicken in a tomato cream sauce, and a vegetable ribbon salad.
Joanne welcomes her youngest student Stella to class and they nestle in to create a menu of some of Joanne's favorite chilly weather dishes: roasted game hens with prosciutto and mushrooms and quinoa pilaf with dried blueberries and apricots.
Joanne confesses to her student Kyle that her favorite food is potato chips, but gives him a healthier oven "fried" version. They are so good, it's hard to save a few to go with their bruschetta blue cheese burgers and blueberry nectarine sangria.
Joanne starts her class with a challenge, presenting her French student Pascal three variations on the classic French sauce aioli. Then they are both swept off their feet by Joanne's twist on the classic combination of chicken and salad.
Joanne and her student Sasha are transported to Provence using herbs, citrus, and garlic. Joanne begins with a bright fresh citrus salad and then working together they create a very classic country, yet refined, dish of braised cod with leeks and potato.
Joanne eases the anxiety that can sometimes set in when a vegetarian is coming to dinner. Working with her fitness specialist student Randy she prepares a satisfying bulgur and feta salad and fried potato and spiced red pepper frittata that would satisfy vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.
Joanne shows us just how easily and quickly a deliciously spiced lentil soup can be made when you have the right spices in the pantry. She continues to spice it up with her student John, building a warm Moroccan chicken and sweet potato salad, cooling it off with a cardamom and ginger cocktail she has aptly named the Marrakech 75.
Joanne embraces teaching traditional recipes and then showing new ways to use them. She and her student Reggie make mayonnaise and create an Asian inspired meal of tuna burgers with wasabi mayonnaise and Thai cabbage and grapefruit slaw, leaving Reggie wondering if he will ever buy mayonnaise again.
Inspired by the roasted chickens in the markets of Italy Joanne teaches her student Joan her version of crispy chicken and potatoes with a side of hot pepper and white balsamic broccolini, topped off with a cherry Zinfandel zabaglione.
Joanne introduces her student Ron to the versatility of the often overlooked gingerroot greeting him with poached shrimp with a mango dipping sauce made with freshly grated ginger. Together it is then mussels steamed with mustard greens, lemon grass, and ginger with grilled bread with ginger aioli.
When it is tomato season it is sometimes difficult to keep up with the bounty. Joanne prepares a chilled tomato and Greek yogurt soup, and then teaches her student Jack the versatility of roasted cherry tomatoes, showcasing them in a lamb sirloin salad.
Joanne goes “nuts” and makes for us her five-spice, ginger, and cayenne packed Asian Toasted Nuts. Then she encourages her student Geoff to do the same making stir-fried chicken, pine-nut lettuce wraps and cardamom-scented rice with toasted almonds.
With her student Bonnie, Joanne makes us quicker versions of the comfort foods she grew up with in New England, oven-roasted sausages, and a sauerkraut that is so fast she couldn’t resist calling it lazy-girl sauerkraut.
The island of Sardinia is one of Joanne’s favorite places. She created a menu to take her student Di there, fregola with clams and tomatoes and a yellow and green bean salad with cherry tomatoes and basil.
Joanne shares her memories of Italy with her student Barbra recreating some of the dishes form her travels. Starting with a simple salad of fig and prosciutto, then slowly adding just enough red wine to farro for a farro risotto, and finally ending the meal with a dessert of strawberry, port, and black pepper.
Joanne makes us a classic Italian frico and then with her student Stephanie demonstrates how rustic and refined can work well together in the same meal, making a spiced lentil and herb salad and halibut wrapped in prosciutto.
Joanne is often asked where her inspirations come from and begins by composing an inspired salad with roasted beets, and then gives her student Charlie some pointers for making honey glazed pork chops and a roasted squash puree.
Joanne and her student Lauren give comfort food a kick preparing a 30 minute lamb and black bean chili and hiding a red pepper jelly surprise inside corn muffins.
Joanne’s day begins at the farmer’s market and she shows us a fresh sugar snap pea soup. Then she works with her student Kyle to perfect his pasta techniques making a fresh fettuccine with asparagus, prosciutto, and lemon crème fraiche. Recipes: Sugar Snap Pea Soup with Mint and Meyer Lemon Oil and Fresh Fettuccine with Asparagus Ribbons and Lemon Crème Fraiche Student: Kyle Khasigian, Financial Associate
Joanne remembers her trips to Italy and with her student Di shows us a classic pizza strata and a dessert inspired by limoncello.
Summer is definitely the time Joanne gets excited about fruits and vegetables, greeting her student Leah with a little jem salad perfectly dressed with a buttermilk blue cheese dressing. They make a spicy spaghetti together and then cool things down with a blueberry frozen yogurt.
Joanne loves Italian flavors. She prepares a Spinach and Fennel Salad enhanced with Prosciutto di San Daniele. Then, hungry for a little comfort food, she creates a hearty Tuscan Pot Roast with her student Cheryl and shows her the secret to the perfect creamy polenta.
Inspired by freshly picked vegetables, Joanne prepares a vegetarian feast. She begins by making a luscious butternut squash soup. And then for a twist with her student Sasha she cooks up some Gnocchi with Brown Butter using semolina instead of potatoes along with Kale with Garlic and White Balsamic.
Joanne shows us how preserved lemons add vibrancy and a bright taste to hummus. Then, Jerry is back and ready to spice it up using cardamom and coriander to transform a plain chicken breast into unforgettable Spice-Dusted Chicken Skewers with Harissa Yogurt Sauce, served with Pearl Couscous.
Joanne toasts up a tasty starter of Grilled Bread with Tomatoes and Prosciutto di Parma and then shows her student Sarina, how a splash of sherry gives shrimp some sizzle! Together they roast red peppers to perfection for a delicious basmati rice dish with green peas.
First, Joanne turns fresh plums into a cheese-worthy chutney with ginger and then Joan returns for an encore. They use a combination of Indian spices to prepare Roasted Chicken Thighs with Indian Rub with Pan Roasted Potatoes with Black and Yellow Mustard seeds.
Joanne creates a meal fit for guests, starting with a Crostini with Sheep's Milk Ricotta, Asparagus and Mint that looks as great as it tastes. She teaches her student, Jack, the key to making light and flavorful meatballs perfect for Rigatoni in a Smoky Tomato Sauce, and they toast the meal with a grown up Big Girl Lime Milk Shake. Recipes: Crostini with Sheep's Milk Ricotta, Asparagus and Mint, Rigatoni with Ricotta Meatballs in a Smoky Tomato Sauce, Big Girl Lime Milk Shake Student: Jack Cohen
Joanne turns ordinary romaine into an exotic salad salad with honey, cardamom, and Moroccan Spiced Almonds. Her student, Leah, boards the Marrakech Express to learn the secret to making burger night an even bigger hit with the family, mixing Moroccan spices with lamb and topping with a zesty cucumber, yogurt sauce with ginger.
Joanne sets the stage for a Spanish Fiesta with a twist on the classic Spanish Gazpacho, turning sweet peas into a refreshing soup. She teaches her student Ron, the perfect party meal, Shellfish Paella.
Craving the bold flavors she tasted in Argentina, Joanne shows her student Leigh how to give grilled skirt steak a boost with a fresh and zesty chimichurri sauce. And potatoes get the double treatment of roasting and grilling becoming twice as flavorful.
Farm fresh lettuces get just a bit of enhancement from a delicious green goddess dressing in Joanne's salad. Her student, Aggie, learns a few simple secrets to making great pie crusts, an they decide to make a savory galette toping their crust with a savory filling of mushrooms and blue cheese.
Each time Joanne travels, she loves to find ways to bring exotic flavors home. In this episode, she shows her student Michelle how a picant spice rub, harissa, can quickly transform a home cooked meal of pork tenderloin into a gourmet experience with a cooling mint and cumin yogurt on the side.
Joanne shows how to get maximum flavor from a bountiful tomato crop by roasting them slowly. Sasha learns to make a stew fit for summer using fresh vegetables and a basil mint pesto.
Joanne shares a tuna and white bean salad recipe straight from the Mediterranean that will make you want to dine al fresca. Charlie joins in and learns a technique for cooking juicy lemon perfect for tossing with herbs and orecchiette for a light and simple pasta salad. They finish the meal with pineapple sprinkled with a secret ingredient for a perfect ending.