Peggy Paul Casella is a writer, recipe developer and tester, cookbook collaborator, and creator of the recipe website Thursday Night Pizza. She’s also the author of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizza Cookbook; Pizza Rules: A Quick-Start Guide to Making Pizza at Home; and The Dip Deck: 50 Savory and Sweet Recipes to Scoop, Dunk, and Spread. We asked her a few questions about her favorite things in local food this time of year.
Photo courtesy of Peggy Paul Cassella
What’s one spring ingredient you’re especially excited about right now, and how do you love to use it?
Chives! They’re the first green shoots to poke through after winter thaws, and their flowers, which start out like spiky purple mohawks, are delicious cooked or raw. As soon as I have enough to snip, I bake them on a round of pizza dough with Gruyere or aged cheddar; scallions, cut lengthwise into thin ribbons; salt and pepper; and a drizzle of heavy cream.
Tell us about a meal—recent or from the past—that really captures the essence of this region’s food scene.
Childhood lunch spreads of sweet Lebanon bologna–cream cheese roll-ups, pickles, buttery crackers, and grilled asparagus or thick slabs of Brandywine tomatoes, fresh from my family’s backyard veggie garden in Bucks County.
What’s one underrated local ingredient or food product that you wish more people would try?
Kohlrabi. It’s a jellyfish-shaped vegetable with leaves similar to kale and firm, round bulbs that, when peeled, taste like broccoli stem, white cabbage, and daikon radish. Grate it up for slaw or salad, slice it for stir-fry, or cut it into crunchy sticks or slabs to serve with dips like hummus or green goddess.
How do you approach sustainability in your work, whether it’s sourcing ingredients, reducing waste, or supporting local producers?
I organize recipe lists for development and testing by season. That way, I get the best, ripest produce while supporting local growers. And my family eats whatever I’m testing, no matter how strange or monotonous it gets. (Dips for dinner might sound fun . . . but even that loses its appeal after three months of testing.) If there are too many leftovers, I text neighbors to swing by with containers, and I save veggie scraps, chicken carcasses, and meat bones in the freezer for stock and broth.
If you could plan a perfect day of eating in this area—from morning coffee to dinner—where would you go and what would you order?
I’d stick close to home in Fishtown, starting with coffee and a maritozzo (Italian cream bun) at Fiore. Then, I’d grab a smoothie at REAP Mini Mart—whatever’s on the specials board—trek to Penn Treaty Park if the sun’s out, and head back for an early dinner (and Jack & Wendy cocktail) at Lloyd Whisky Bar.
