Throughout each episode, Joanne helps her students and the home viewers to grasp the simple concepts and techniques of cooking a delicious meal. As she teaches her real-life students to chop, sauté and season their way through the kitchen, she helps them to lose the anxiety and have fun. Within each episode, the viewer will hear “confessionals”—personal comments from the student and Joanne, that give the series a behind-the-scenes quality.
Each episode takes the viewer on a culinary journey to explore new tastes. Joanne shares her knowledge of regional cuisines with the students and teaches them how incorporating one new spice or idea can open up a world of flavors! Whether it’s adding a little harissa to a mayonnaise or spiking pineapple chunks with olive oil and salt, Joanne demonstrates how easy it is to take a dish and turn it into something extraordinary. The recipes in the companion cookbook, Joanne Weir’s Cooking Confidence, are easy to follow and made with accessible and affordable ingredients. Cooking along with Joanne will take the worry out of the kitchen and bring confidence to the plate.
Joanne Weir’s Cooking Confidence is presented by KQED Presents and produced by Joanne Weir and Paul Swensen. It is distributed to public television nationwide by American Public Television (APT). Season Two underwriting is provided by Anolon Nouvelle Copper, Valley Fig Growers, Village Harvest, and a consortium consisting of Grana Padano, Prosciutto di Parma and Prosciutto di San Danielle, the European Union and Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry.
Website and Social Media:
Website: joanneweir.com
Facebook: facebook.com/JoanneWeirCooking
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoanneWeirCook
YouTube: youtube.com/user/joanneweir
Program Guide Article: Cooking Confidence article
Social Media Kit: Social Media Kit
Media Contact:
Andrew Freeman, 415-781-5700, andrew@afandco.com
Episode Descriptions
Episode 201
Italian Flavor or Slow Food, Italian Style
Description: 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.
Recipes: Spinach and Fennel Salad with Prosciutto di San Daniele, Tuscan Pot Roast, Creamy Polenta with Grana Padano
Student: Cheryl Kovelchik
Episode 202
Harvest Time
Description: 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.
Recipes: Roasted Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup with Coriander Oil, Semolina Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Fried Sage (Parm-Reg), Kale with Garlic and White Balsamic
Student: Sasha Bernstein
Episode 203
Middle-East Feast or Spice It Up
Description: 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.
Recipes: Spiced Humus with Preserved Lemons, Spice-Dusted Chicken Skewers with Harissa Yogurt Sauce, Pearl Couscous (and variations)
Student: Jerry Feldman
Episode 204
Dinner Time Sizzle
Description: 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.
Recipes: Grilled Bread with Tomatoes and Prosciutto di Parma, Sizzling Shrimp with Pimenton and Sherry, Basmati Rice with Roasted Red Peppers and Green Peas
Student: Sarina Crivello
Episode 205
Spiced Up
Description: 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.
Recipes: Plum and Ginger Chutney with Italian Cheeses, Roasted Chicken Thighs with Indian Rub, Pan-Roasted Potatoes with Black and Yellow Mustard Seeds
Student: Joan Boada
Episode 206
Crowd Pleasers
Description: 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
Episode 207
Making Waves or Marrakech Express
Description: 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.
Recipes: Romaine Waves with Honey and Cardamom and Moroccan Spiced Almonds, Moroccan Merguez Lamb Burgers, Yogurt, Cucumber and Ginger Sauce
Student: Leah Ballantyne
Episode 208
Spanish Fiesta
Description: 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.
Recipes: Sweet Pea Gazpacho, Shellfish Paella
Student: Ron Martin
Episode 209
Argentina Remembered
Description: 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.
Recipes: Gazpacho Salad, Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri, Roasted and Grilled Potatoes
Student: Leigh Balkon
Episode 210
Bistro Style
Description: 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.
Recipes: Butter Lettuce with Green Goddess Dressing, Mushroom and Blue Cheese Galette
Student: Aggie Gettys
Episode 211
You Say Harissa
Description: 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.
Recipes: Harissa-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Mint and Cumin Yogurt, Green Spring Vegetables
Student: Michelle Soto
Episode 212
Summer in Italy
Description: 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.
Recipes: Oven-Dried Tomatoes, Feta and Olives, Summer Vegetable Stew with Basil and Mint Pesto (Parm-Reg)
Student: Sasha Bernstein
Episode 213
Simply Delicious
Description: 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.
Recipes: Tuna and White Bean Salad with Basil and Tomatoes, Orecchiette with Lemon Chicken and Herb Salad, Pineapple Chunks with Olive Oil and Salt
Student: Charlie Baldwin
About KQED
KQED (kqed.org) has served Northern California for more than 50 years and is affiliated with NPR and PBS. KQED owns and operates public television stations KQED 9 (San Francisco/Bay Area), KQED Plus (San Jose/Bay Area), and KQET 25 (Watsonville/Monterey); KQED Public Radio (88.5FM San Francisco and 89.3FM Sacramento); the interactive platforms kqed.org and KQEDnews.org; and KQED Education. KQED Public Television, one of the nation's most-watched public television stations, is the producer of local and national series such as QUEST; Check, Please! Bay Area; This Week in Northern California; Truly CA; and Essential Pépin. KQED's digital television channels include 9HD, KQED Life, KQED World, KQED Kids, and KQED V-me, and are available 24/7 on Comcast. KQED Public Radio, home of Forum with Michael Krasny and The California Report, is one of the most-listened-to public radio stations in the nation with an award-winning news and public affairs program service delivering more than eighteen local newscasts daily. KQED Interactive provides KQED’s cross-platform news service, KQEDnews.org, as well as offers several popular local blogs, video and audio podcasts, and a live radio stream at kqed.org. KQED Education brings the impact of KQED to thousands of teachers, students, parents, and the general public through workshops, community screenings, and multimedia resources.
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