There are some moments in Anna Rossi’s culinary life that she’ll never forget. There was the time she made a perfect molten lava cake as a contestant on the TV cooking competition MasterChef, prompting restaurateur and judge Joseph Bastianich to call it a “lesson in baking perfection during a pressure test.”
Or when she was trekking Spain’s Camino de Santiago alone at age 20 and saw a Norwegian woman use a butter knife to dig out the cheek of a whole trout, bite it off the knife tip, and wink at her.
“I was horrified, and fascinated, and wanted it, too,” Rossi remembers. It also gave her the thrilling realization that the world was brimming with culinary adventures waiting to be discovered.
Now, the Emmy-award winning chef, TV personality, lifestyle expert, and North Shore resident is bringing her passion for food, sense of discovery, and love of culinary storytelling to a new lifestyle TV segment on Boston 25.
“My favorite thing about food and culinary storytelling is that you get to always be a student,” she says. “There’s always something to learn.”
The series, which debuted over the summer during the morning news and will get a full rollout this fall, will feature Rossi’s favorite family-friendly recipes; tips and tricks for entertaining; decorating ideas and inspiration; and more. She also hopes it will “celebrate the different stories and events and things that make our community and the Greater Boston area so unique.”
Here, Rossi shares some of her favorite things, from her go-to bar order (tequila, fresh lime juice, and a splash of soda), to her desert island food (birria tacos), to quick tips and tricks to make entertaining easier.
What’s a great, go-to dish that you always bring to a potluck?
A big bowl of marinated goat cheese in extra virgin olive oil, a little lemon zest, and whatever fresh herbs I have on my outdoor kitchen countertop with some sliced, fresh baguette.
What’s the perfect hostess gift to give?
I love gifting a bottle of Avaline natural cava and something living in the herb department for the kitchen counter that’s in a pot, like a fresh pot of rosemary or basil, with a little bow around it.
What’s your favorite food holiday?
I host Thanksgiving and I love serving up my spatchcocked turkey. My husband would say Feast of the Seven Fishes.
What’s a great entertaining hack that makes having a house full of people easier and more fun for the host?
I host a little fundraiser for our school cookie swap at Christmas every year and try to have everything that I want served for nibbles already done.
I also like pulling in the kids. I’ll have brown butter saffron chicken wings or lobster roll sliders already on the platter and then I’ll send them out to pass it. So they get the opportunity to be mixing with adults and also enjoy the gratification and praise that comes with it, but I can be present [as a hostess].
And a great playlist goes a long way.
What’s your favorite classic Greater Boston food?
I love chowder, and I make a delicious chowder that’s kind of a cross between New England and Rhode Island: Broth-heavy, but still with some cream, and loaded with fresh-shucked cherrystones. And oh, my gosh! We have an amazing house lobster roll recipe, too, that’s super simple. I blitz fresh-picked lobster meat under ice water and collect that ice water and it becomes pink. Then I mix that pink water with a little Hellman’s mayonnaise to thin it out and then fold that into the lobster roll with a little tarragon, and it’s just what I want.
What do you make for dinner when you really don’t feel like cooking?
Pasta is probably the go-to. And I like to keep homemade meatballs in the freezer, so Ill take some of those out, put them in some jarred sauce on the stovetop, and let those go for a little bit. It kind of has that homemade flavor, but it’s easy.
Can you describe your perfect North Shore Saturday in the fall?
There’s probably a football game. My son plays football, and my daughter does cheer, so probably something celebrating that. And then, if we’re lucky with a light breeze and some sunny skies, a nice crisp boat ride. Maybe going from Danversport Marina out to Salem or up to Gloucester for a little fall dock and dine.