A First Taste

Alejandra Ramos, voice-over: Welcome to "The Great American Recipe," a celebration of American home cooking told through our most cherished recipes... Woman, voice-over: I've been making Chinese dishes ever since I was a child.

I prefer to cook everything in my beloved wok.

Ramos, voice-over: honoring generations of family tradition... Woman: Mm, smells like home.

I'm a Southern boy, so I like to fry it or grill it or smoke it.

Oh, I like that.

Ramos, voice-over: and sharing the heartwarming stories behind each memorable dish.

I actually brought my spaetzle maker from home.

It reminds me of holiday time.

Woman, voice-over: This right here is what I lived for in my childhood, the smell of my grandma's kitchen.

Derry: All of your sauces and your pots and your pans, these are special moments.

[Laughter] There's two things that run through a Sicilian's blood-- sauce and espresso.

Hey!

♪ Ramos, voice-over: This season, our home cooks have gathered in Nashville, Tennessee, from regions across the country... Man: Today it's comida casera, and that's just home cooking.

I love it.

It's about honoring your heritage and the people you love.

Oh, seriously... Ramos: Your food is all part of that American story.

Ah, it's beautiful.

Ramos, voice-over: expertly guided by our talented chefs-- returning judge Tiffany Derry... Where there is smoke, there is fire.

Ramos, voice-over: and our two new judges--Francis Lam... Ooh, that smells good.

If you haven't had my lamb chops, we're not friends yet, Ramos, voice-over: and Tim Hollingsworth.

When you make scones, it's really all about that bake, right?

Yeah.

It's gonna be denser than, like, a biscuit, but you still have a little bit of flakiness because, as a chef, you really want to make sure it has that perfect bite.

Oh, yeah.

Ramos, voice-over: After 8 weeks of challenges honoring American home cooking... Tastes great, just like I make it at home, baby.

Ramos, voice-over: one home cook will be named the winner.

Welcome back to "The Great American Recipe."

♪ [Pencil scratches] ♪ Woman: Oh, wow.

Yes.

Oh.

I'm so darn excited to compete in this competition.

I'm in the company of some great home cooks from around the country, so I hope I can rise to the occasion.

Woman, voice-over: This is it.

This is the moment.

I've been building up to this for quite some time... ♪ and it's all happening ♪ Mae: Oh, wow.

Oh, my... Wow.

This is nice.

Ramos: Hi, everyone.

Welcome.

Hi there.

Ha ha!

Welcome, home cooks, to "The Great American Recipe."

[Cheering and applause] I'm your host Alejandra Ramos, and, as you can see, we've added two new judges to our family.

Please welcome award-winning food journalist and cookbook editor Francis Lam.

Hey, everyone.

I'm so excited to be here.

You know, like a lot of folks in this room, probably, I had my share of stinky lunchbox stories because I would bring Chinese food from home, and to be in a place where we can be so proud about our food and our heritage is really, really special, and as a writer and a cookbook editor, I get to help other people tell their stories, so I'm honored that you're here to share your stories with us.

Thank you.

Ramos: Also joining us this season-- James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur Tim Hollingsworth.

Thank you.

Whoo!

It's so great to be here with you all.

Like many of you, my culinary journey consists of a variety of influences, from growing up in Texas and spending time cooking with my mother to cooking in Michelin-star restaurants... Now you're just bragging.

OK. [Laughter] so I'm excited to see what you guys are gonna share with us, to hear your stories, and to eat.

Especially the eating part.

And please welcome back award-winning chef and restaurateur Tiffany Derry.

Hey, y'all.

Ha ha ha!

I am so thrilled to be back, to meet all of you, and experience your food, hear your stories, and really just follow with you on this journey.

I am starstruck.

I'm a big fan of these judges, and for them to critique my food is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

It's all really surreal.

Here is how the competition will work.

Each week, there'll be a theme and two rounds of cooking.

Each round, you'll prepare your most delicious recipes for our judges to taste and critique.

Derry: At the end of each round, we will evaluate your dishes based on taste, execution, presentation, and how well you followed the round's theme.

And, while we know all your dishes will wow us, we're gonna be choosing our favorites from each round.

However, since we want a chance to experience all of your recipes and the stories that each of you have to offer, all 8 of you will be staying with us throughout this experience.

[Cheering and applause] Ramos: As you compete in the coming weeks, we will be tracking your growth and evaluating your overall success based on the judges' critiques of your dishes leading up to the finale.

That means each of your dishes will determine whether you earn a spot as one of the 3 home cooks in the final week of the competition, and at the end of the journey, one of you will be named the winner of "The Great American Recipe."

[Cheering and applause] Man, voice-over: If I was the winner of "The Great American Recipe," I think my family would be so proud because it's a moment to share my family's stories, my recipes, and I'd love the world to see that.

Woman, voice-over: As an African woman with African recipes, I want to win because I just want to make Togolese people and Africans everywhere proud.

This week's theme is all about the all-important first impression, showing us right off the bat who you are through your food.

For this first round of cooking, we want to see your most defining dish.

We're giving you 60 minutes to prepare us a dish that truly defines who you are as a home cook.

Your time... starts now.

Whoo!

Yeah!

♪ Come on, baby.

OK. Just grabbing my ingredients here.

Welcome, Tim and Francis, to our table, to our kitchen.

I'm so happy to be here.

We gave them 60 minutes to make us a first- impression dish.

Sure.

What are you looking to see in this round?

This is the first step of the journey and getting to know them, so I want something that is gonna define them through either where they're from culturally, something about their story.

Derry: I agree.

I think this is our first look into who they are, and to narrow it down to one dish is so-- Let's be honest.

It's a little impossible.

[Sizzling] Every Italian dish starts with olive oil, garlic, and onion.

Marcella, voice-over: My name's Marcella DiChiara.

I'm from Franklin, Massachusetts.

I'm 45 years old, and I am an Internet retailer executive.

I am making a traditional Sicilian eggplant parmigiana, otherwise known as eggplant parm.

I'm a Sicilian girl.

Both of my parents were born in Sicily, and we are a typical, loud Italian family.

There's no rules when it comes to basil.

Marcella, voice-over: I'm really excited to put Sicilian cooking on the map.

I am just making a quick sauce, otherwise known as a marinara sauce.

Marcella, voice-over: I absolutely love, love eggplant.

It is Sicilian style in the sense that we don't bread the eggplant first.

I've done this so many times, so when my kids have to be somewhere and I don't have a lot of time, I know how to speed it up.

My son is 16, and my daughter is 14.

I think I'm already a winner in their eyes, to be honest, but they would love it if I came home crowned champ with my eggplant parmigiana.

OK. ♪ Smells good in here.

Derry: Adjo, what's that?

This is palm butter.

It is made from palm trees that are found in West Africa.

Adjo, voice-over: I am Adjo Honsou.

I'm 34 years old.

I'm from Togo, West Africa, and I live in St. Louis, Missouri.

My defining dish is my oxtail in palm nut stew.

I grew up in a small village called Ategou, and I moved here with my mom when I was 14 years old.

As a home cook, I love West African food, and so that permeates through all of my cooking always.

With the oxtail in here, what I'm going to do next is add blended onion, garlic, and ginger.

Nice.

If I want to get oxtail as soft as I want it, almost falling off the bone, I need to use the pressure cooker.

[Beeping] I'm a little bit worried about this pressure cooker because it just stays on, but does it mean that it's getting to pressure?

Adjo, voice-over: I'm used to my home pressure cooker.

I've never had to use this particular one before.

I'm worried now.

Pressure cooker drama.

Hey, Adjo.

Hi.

How's it going?

I'm well.

How are you doing?

I'm well, thank you.

I've been smelling this for the last while.

I'm excited.

Tell me what all is in the pot.

In the pot is the palm butter with some tomatoes.

So I know palm oil is very important in West African cooking.

It's, like, this beautiful red color.

Yes.

Is palm butter, palm nut, palm oil all from the same thing?

Same thing, so usually when they're making palm oil, you cook the butter down like this, and then you scoop up the oils from the top as it's cooking.

Is it always made with oxtail, or can you make it with other things?

You can definitely make it with beef because you have to cook this for so long, compared to something like goat meat or oxtail or something like that, a lot of-- We have a lot of the toughness that you want to braise down.

Yes, exactly.

Growing up, oxtails in palm nut is something that my grandma would make for me at special occasions and things like that, so I'm glad to share my Togolese culture with everybody.

I love that.

Good luck.

Thank you.

♪ This is a tomatillo, which is a traditional vegetable that we use in Mexican and Latin cooking.

My name is Jon Hinojosa.

I'm a young 61.

I was born in El Paso, Texas, but I now live in San Antonio.

I'm gonna do some green chicken enchiladas with a side of Mexican rice.

As a home cook, the food that I make is both Mexican and Texan.

♪ Boom boom boom ♪ Jon, voice-over: Chicken enchiladas are stuffed, rolled tortillas.

I'm a first- and second- generation Mexican American.

My father was born in Mexico.

My mother was born in El Paso, Texas, and when I just turned 6, my mother passed away, so the biggest influences in my cooking are my grandmothers.

For my Mexican rice, the magic ingredient is this caldo de tomate.

It adds a tangy, savory flavor.

This is a secret ingredient in every abuela's kitchen.

Jon, voice-over: So this is my defining dish because it represents my background, my family, and I'm excited to be able to share Mexican culture.

Que viva Mexico.

♪ Making our chicken breasts much flatter, cooks a lot faster.

Doug, voice-over: My name is Doug Heilman.

I'm from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

I'm 49 years old, and I'm a training consultant.

All right, a little pickle brine.

Doug, voice-over: My defining dish is a pickle-brined chicken schnitzel on top of spinach salad with a double-mustard dressing.

All right, right in our brine.

Get in there.

Doug, voice-over: Schnitzel is a German, fried breaded-meat dish.

My ancestors came over from Germany in the early 1800s, and everyone began farming.

I grew up on a farm, and that definitely influenced my cooking style because I love using farm-fresh ingredients and cooking German recipes.

I am making a honey-mustard dressing, but it's really more mustard, just a little bit of honey, not too sweet.

Doug, voice-over: In Pittsburgh, we make salads really hearty, and so I'm adding some roasted potatoes.

OK.

I certainly want to win this competition for my family, specifically my husband.

I wouldn't be here without his encouragement along the way, and I also think this food is pretty good.

All right, coming in the pool.

Ramos: All right, 45 minutes.

♪ Jon: How's everybody doing?

You guys good?

Going great.

♪ Have a lot of stuff to fry here, so we want to keep this moving.

That right there, oregano, and no Hispanic food is ever completed without cumin.

I'm Ingrid Portillo.

I'm 38 years old.

I'm from Charlotte, North Carolina, and I work in child nutrition.

I was born in El Salvador, and I came to the United States as an 8-year-old.

I love to cook Salvadoran food because it represents my family.

I am making my sopa de mi abuela con tortitas, which means my grandma's bean soup.

It has meat bones, beef, Salvadoran cheese.

Mm, Ingrid has the beans going with meat bones in there.

The dish just screams flavorful.

Nice.

Ha ha ha!

Ooh!

Ingrid, voice-over: Growing up in El Salvador, my abuelita did all the cooking.

The things that I remember most about my abuelita is the smells of my grandma's kitchen.

♪ Now I'm making la tortitas, which is masa balls.

Tortitas have masa and Salvadoran cheese, and it's fried, and then I'll add them to the soup.

This is what I lived for in my childhood.

When I was born in El Salvador, there was an ongoing civil war.

My mama and papa had to leave El Salvador for the United States in order to provide a better life, and my siblings and I had to stay back to be raised by our grandmother, my abuelita.

By making Salvadoran dishes, I feel like I'm reconnecting with my family and my culture.

This is one way to keep the memories alive for my children.

This right here is abuelita.

♪ [Beep beep] I'm timing myself.

Mae, voice-over: I'm Mae Chandran.

I'm 75 years young, and originally, I was born in Canton, China, and now I live in Malibu, California.

My defining dish is spicy Sri Lankan shrimp curry.

I am making this because it really defines my husband and me.

My husband and I have been married for 47 years.

I was born in Southern China, and my husband's from Sri Lanka, so I have more like a fusion style.

The shrimp has the shell on it.

It imparts a certain flavor.

Mae, voice-over: I'm using fresh ginger, fresh garlic, and Jaffna curry powder, which is used in Sri Lankan cooking and has a lot of chilies in it.

I love curries.

Ever since I married my husband, the whole world of spices has opened up to me.

My husband is my number-one cheerleader.

We brought up two wonderful children, and I'd like to win because I want to make my family proud.

It's the perfect marriage of the Sri Lankan and the Chinese culture, so I love this dish.

♪ Man: I am going to fry flounder.

We're gonna get that cornmeal-breaded.

Right now, I am cooking some bacon.

Tim, voice-over: My name's Tim Harris.

I live in Fort Mill, South Carolina.

I'm 45 years old, and I'm an insurance auditor.

All right.

What I'm making here is some Southern fried flounder with some cheesy grits, and we're gonna finish it off with some sauteed mustard greens.

I grew up on the coast of South Carolina.

My mother is Dutch, so I have a whole Dutch side of my family.

As far as my father's side of the family, that's where I get my Southern roots from.

I'm gonna go ahead and get these greens in there.

I'm using mustard greens.

With the time allotted, mustard greens will cook a lot quicker than collard greens.

Hollingsworth: Hey, Tim.

Hey, how's it going, Tim?

Doing well, Tim.

How are you?

Doing well, Chef, doing well.

Well, I grew up eating Southern food.

You know, my mom didn't really cook a lot of fish.

Everything was pretty much meat-and-potatoes kind of deal, but that's what I really love about Southern food, is that when you eat it, like, it warms your heart.

Tim, voice-over: Cooking meals that I grew up with is very much nostalgic for me, and now having my own family, I get the opportunity to share those traditions with my kids.

Growing up in the military, being a military brat, no matter where we were stationed, if my mom cooked up something or my dad was cooking up something, it kind of took us back to, you know, where I remember-- started growing up.

Food has that ability, right?

It has the ability to transport us, Yeah.

so beautiful thing.

Yes, sir.

I think presentation is another thing.

You know, you have a lot of homey sort of ingredients and a lot of flavor built in with those creamy grits right there, so make sure when you're putting them on that plate, we want something that's gonna be beautiful.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Yeah, for sure.

Good luck.

Thank you, sir.

Derry: 25 minutes.

Now I feel like the time is going faster than I wish it would.

Well, now I'm not that confident.

Oh, come on, guys.

Let's go.

Let's go.

We can do this.

This is Alaska salmon, the best in the world.

I'm Kim Sherry from Anchorage, Alaska.

I'm 46, and I'm an artist.

So I'm just gonna check it to make sure it's, like, flaky, and I'm going to make patties out of it.

I'm making a salmon banh mi.

It's a Vietnamese sandwich.

Our family loves the Asian flavors, and so I always like to think of new ways I can prepare the proteins that we can find in Alaska.

I'm a fourth-generation Alaskan, and my cooking style is Alaskan with a global flair.

To my salmon, going to add hoisin, toasted sesame oil, and fish sauce.

Fish sauce is a traditional Vietnamese ingredient.

In Alaska, we spend our summers harvesting, hunting, and fishing, and those foods need to last us throughout the winter.

Having an abundance of one food in your freezer makes you a really creative cook.

So then I got my big, beautiful pile of shredded carrots.

I'm super excited to represent Alaskan cooking because I think it will surprise a lot of people.

Do I make the best food?

I don't know, but if someone says I do, I'd be really excited to hear that.

♪ It tastes like home.

♪ Ramos: All right, so what are you worried about?

Because it smells fantastic, but, you know, this is their first time cooking in this kitchen.

Yeah.

I think that's it.

It's the first time you're in the kitchen.

You are not familiar yet.

The pressure cooker can get you, right, understanding the timing of it, you know, and how long it takes to actually make something tender.

Almost there.

Ramos: I mean, cooking in a new kitchen, even when you're not competing, can always be tricky.

Sure.

Lam: You know, what's funny about that is, you ask me to make dinner at my friend's house, I'm like, "OK.

Sure."

[Laughter] This is the fun part.

Marcella, voice-over: My version of eggplant parmesan is essentially just like a lasagna.

It's just layers of delicious on top of more delicious, little bit of breadcrumbs in between just to hold it all together, and cheese, cheese, cheese, and more cheese.

Little mozzarella and a little bit of parm, and I like to add a little ricotta just to give it a richer flavor.

5 minutes left, everyone.

Come on, baby.

Come on, baby.

Come on baby.

Going.

Adjo, voice-over: I'm a little bit nervous about my oxtail in the pressure cooker.

If something goes wrong with it, then I'm gonna be in big trouble.

OK.

Success.

Jon: Yay!

That's a good sound.

Ha ha!

Now I'm just hoping that the oxtail is nice and tender.

I'm just gonna wait until the last possible minute to get them out of the stew so they can cook a little bit longer.

Doug: I've got a lot of filets to do in the cutest little fryer, which-- Oh, we lost some breading.

Aah!

So for my enchilada sauce, I roasted onions, tomatillos, jalapenos, and Anaheim chilies.

Jon: voice-over: I'm going to make the enchilada sauce less spicy than I normally would because I don't know what the judges would like.

♪ Ah, the tastes are perfect.

♪ Oh, yeah.

I am building my banh mis, and my sandwiches are huge.

Ha ha ha!

Ramos: 90 seconds.

Oh, my goodness.

Come on.

Dios mio.

[Speaks Spanish] ♪ Mae: The shrimps look good.

They're not overcooked.

♪ 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Time's up!

[Cheering and applause] Doug: OK. Wow.

Adjo: Let's go.

Kim: Yes.

♪ [Birds chirping] ♪ Ramos: We gave you one hour to prepare your defining dish for our judges.

First up, Marcella, come join us.

♪ Ramos: Marcella, tell us what you made for us.

I made for you today a Sicilian-style eggplant parmigiana.

As a first-generation Sicilian, this represents all the elements of Sicilian food that I love.

Marcella, I was in Sicily earlier this year.

I had quite a few eggplant parms.

This here is darn tasty.

I feel like I can really taste the eggplant.

The thickness of this eggplant allows it to still hold together without being mushy, and I did have a lot that had ricotta in it, as well, and it gives it an extra creaminess.

Lam: Yeah.

You know, the sauce is really what brings it to another level for me.

It has a lot of freshness in the flavor.

The only quibble I have with this dish is, I want more.

Hollingsworth: Oh.

Ha ha ha!

Ramos: Mae.

♪ Tell us what you made for us.

Mae: I made some spicy Sri Lankan shrimp curry.

♪ I'm a little obsessed with this right now.

The shrimp is perfectly cooked.

The shrimp shell does add a lot of flavor to it.

Hollingsworth: Yeah.

I agree, and I think the curry, the spice on this is extremely balanced.

It's beautiful.

You did a great job on this dish.

Thank you so much.

Ramos: Doug.

Doug: Chefs, I've prepared for you a pickle-brined chicken schnitzel on top of a spinach salad with a double mustard dressing.

Derry: Do you normally put potatoes with your salad?

In Pittsburgh, we're kind of known for putting French fries on our salad, but I'm good with roasted potatoes.

Lam: I love the potatoes on the salad.

The fact that you've cooked these potatoes really nice and soft, it adds a heartiness to really match what is the star of the plate--the chicken.

The flavors are great, but if you just pound it a little bit thinner, you'll get a little more of that flavor.

Hollingsworth: Yeah.

I agree.

I think for a fast brine, like, something that we do in our restaurant sometimes is, we'll take a syringe, and we'll inject it, actually, so you're actually getting it in really, really fast and efficiently.

Doug: I love that, and it's definitely something I haven't tried.

[Laughter] Ramos: Kim.

Hello, judges.

Today I've made for you a salmon banh mi.

In Alaska, we have a amazing salmon fishing industry.

Lam: So, Kim, I am both overwhelmed and slightly intimidated by your generosity in this sandwich.

In Alaska, we go big, OK?

Lam: It is true.

Ha ha ha!

Lam: I have to say, the salmon patty is beautiful.

The texture is so light and delicate.

Derry: Yeah, absolutely agree.

I love all the vegetables on here.

I love the fresh approach.

Thank you so much.

Mm-hmm.

Ramos: Tim, it's your turn, sir.

What we've got here is, we've got some Southern-fried flounder with braised mustard greens and cheesy grits.

Derry: The flounder is really beautifully cooked, and I really like the grits here-- they're cheesy-- but your greens, they got a little dry on you.

Hollingsworth: I agree.

I think that was done a little bit too soon maybe, but everything plays really nice together, feeling like I'm in the South, honestly, you know?

Thank you, Chef.

You are in the South, Tim.

[Laughter] Ingrid, come join us.

Hi.

I made la sopa de mi abuela con tortitas.

It's my grandma's soup.

♪ I love how you have all of these kind of textures, and then you have, like, this nice fried component, too.

Lam: Yeah, I agree, and I think this broth is so beautiful.

The flavor is so clean.

The creaminess, that earthiness of the bean comes out.

The only thing I'd say is, you know, obviously, you're cooking meat with bones.

That typically takes a long time.

Yes.

Here, the pressure cooker, like, it maybe didn't get all the way there, like, the way you wanted it to, but it still gave so much flavor to the broth.

Oh, thank you.

Ramos: Jon.

Jon: Hello, judges.

Ramos: Hello.

I made green chicken enchiladas with a side of Mexican rice.

It's one of the Mexican flavors that I loved and grew up with as a child.

I really want to talk about the rice.

There's a sweetness to it that's really, really nice.

There's also a nice tartness.

Thank you so much.

Derry: I do think the enchiladas need a little bit more spice here.

OK.

I know you can do it.

You live in San Antonio.

I so appreciate that feedback, so now I know you guys want a little bit more spice.

But overall, I think that the dish is very nice.

I appreciate that.

Ramos: Adjo, you're up.

Hello, judges.

Ramos: Hello.

So what I made here for you today is deku dessi, so in English, that would be oxtail in palm nut stew.

Derry: If I'm being really, really picky, I do think that your oxtails needed a few more minutes, but the flavor of the sauce, it is rich.

It just feels like a hug.

It feels like I'm sharing my love with you.

Yeah.

Hollingsworth: I agree.

I think this depth of flavor that you were able to achieve in such a short amount of time is really, really incredible.

It's just, like, warms your heart, warms your soul, and this is my first time trying palm nut.

I've never had it before.

Awesome.

Thank you for introducing me.

Adjo, voice-over: It is very exciting to hear Chef Tim say that I'm showing him something new because that's my whole purpose here, is to share with the world all the new things they don't know about African culture.

♪ Ramos: Cooks, we asked you to prepare for us a dish that really defines who you are as a home cook.

You know how to make a great first impression.

Judges, who made your favorite dishes this round?

We had so many delicious dishes, but we did have a couple standouts, and the first dish that really impressed us was Adjo's with your oxtail palm nut stew.

Derry: Ha ha ha!

Congratulations.

Yeah.

[Laughter] Lam: We really love this dish, all that warming spices and the palm nut richness.

I'm gonna be thinking about that flavor for, like, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, the day after the day after tomorrow.

It was a delicious introduction to who you are as a home cook.

Thank you.

Adjo, voice-over: African culture is just something that's been swept under the rug when it comes to food, and, like, having such esteemed judges feel that way just validates it.

Derry: And another favorite dish of the round was Marcella with your Sicilian eggplant parmesan.

There was so much flavor, and we all agreed that the eggplant was the standout.

Marcella, voice-over: It means so much to me to have done well with this particular recipe because I am a first-generation Sicilian and this dish defines that.

Thank you, cooks, for showing us who you are in the most delicious way.

We can't wait to see what you cook up in the next round.

♪ Cooks, now that we know more about who you are, thanks to your first-round dishes, we're eager to learn more about where you're from.

For this challenge, you'll have 60 minutes to prepare a dish inspired by your region of the country.

Derry: And remember, your dishes will be judged on taste, presentation, execution, and how well you captured the theme.

Ramos: Good luck, everyone.

Your 60 minutes starts now.

Ooh!

Oh, literally starts now?

OK, OK. ♪ Ramos: We asked the home cooks to prepare a dish that represents the region of the country where they live.

What are you looking to see in this round?

I want it to be clear where they're from, like it is undeniable when I take that bite.

Hollingsworth: I think highlighting their ingredients from wherever the region is.

You know, if you're from Alaska, maybe you're using salmon.

If you're from Texas, you know, maybe you're using a lot of beef.

Ramos: Absolutely.

♪ This round, I'm hoping to just evoke sort of the Pittsburgh vibe.

I'm hoping the judges appreciate it today because it's a little unique.

I'm from the Northeast region, and I live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

I'm so excited to really show off my Pittsburgh-area roots.

I'm making something that I call the Pittsburgh Pocket.

In Pittsburgh, we love foods that are stuffed, so my take on this is to use puff pastry.

I'm stuffing it with a regional beloved deli ham that we usually call chipped chopped.

It's a little saltier.

All right.

Maybe we'll just do a little bit more of our chipped chopped ham on top.

Doug, voice-over: I'm also using provolone cheese and a dill pickle.

All kind of Pittsburgh flavors in here.

Doug, voice-over: I'm also making a sauce on the side.

I'm combining sauteed onion along with ketchup and then some dry mustard and apple cider vinegar, finely chopped bread-and-butter pickles, a little brown sugar to bring a little bit of sweetness.

♪ Mm.

Tastes right to me, zippy.

I love Pittsburgh for so many different things.

I've been there for almost 20 years, and there's a very rich food culture, so the area that I live in definitely influenced my cooking style.

3 slits for the 3 rivers of Pittsburgh, ha ha.

♪ I'm actually gonna go take these littleneck clams and rinse them.

There's nothing worse than gritty clams.

Marcella, voice-over: After having a little taste of victory with round one, my confidence is high.

Look at these babies.

I'm from the New England region, and I live in Franklin, Massachusetts.

I love New England cuisine.

It's my jam.

I am making linguine with littleneck clams.

I'm going to add a little bit of clam juice.

I just love the flavor, so I like to enhance it a little bit.

It's gonna take this dish over the edge.

I'm gonna give it a little time, but if she doesn't open up, she's out.

She's fired.

Hi, Marcella.

Mm!

Hi!

Linguine alle vongole.

That's my dish.

Yes.

They're beautiful.

Thank you.

Every clam looks happy.

You don't want to cook them too long because they get rubbery.

Do you leave all clams in shell, or what's your trick?

I do.

The kids like to see their hard work right on the plate.

Every year, I go with a couple of family friends to Block Island, and the kids all get together.

They dig up the clams, moms cook them, and we all sit outside and have a huge feast.

That sounds incredible.

I think I want to be part of the family.

Yeah.

We have a lot of memories.

I'm excited, and definitely make sure you don't overcook them.

Good luck.

Thank you so much.

Oh, I see some smiling faces in there.

♪ Do we have a colander?

Oh, I see it.

I see it.

I see it.

I'm from the West Coast, and I live in Malibu, California.

I'm making Chinese chicken salad.

It was invented by Madam Wu in Santa Monica, California.

She owned a famous Chinese restaurant.

When the actor Cary Grant came in and asked for chicken salad, she had to think fast on her feet.

This dish represents the West Coast so well.

Out in California, it's on every menu.

In my marinade, I have rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, 5-spice powder, and green onion.

Lam: It's so funny that she's doing a Chinese chicken salad because...

It's very American.

it's very American, so I kind of love that that's her spin on it.

Ramos: It's great because it does scream, "California," to me, but I'm also seeing Mae.

Yeah.

It's not difficult.

It's just involved.

I have so many ingredients.

There's lettuce, red cabbage, napa cabbage, sugar snap peas, and you have to do a lot of chopping.

Chopping, chopping, chopping.

When I was growing up, our family had a Chinese restaurant.

We lived on top of the restaurant, and I'm telling you, this salad's to die for.

I don't even know how much time I got left.

45 minutes, everyone.

Oh, dear.

45.

Let's do this.

♪ Kim: So this is Alaska sausage, and it has reindeer meat in it.

I'm from the Pacific Northwest, and I live in Anchorage, Alaska.

I am making an Alaskan chowder, and in it, I'm going to have shrimp, smoked clams, roasted corn, and some smoked salmon, as well.

Chowder's the perfect vehicle for all of these different foods that we harvest in Alaska.

It's a great way to get through those dark, cold nights.

So, hey, Kim.

Hello, Chef.

What are you making?

There's some Alaska sausage.

It's made with some reindeer meat.

Wondered, "Is it reindeer?"

Yeah.

Have a little tasty.

It's, like, one of my favorite things.

That is delicious.

There's so much spice.

There's so much garlic in it.

So you live in Anchorage.

Yep.

I was raised in a little village called King Salmon.

I've actually been to King Salmon, Alaska.

What?

Weirdly, I'm, like, low-key obsessed with Alaska, so I know, like, certain trivia about it...

Yes.

OK. so, like, I know, like seafood sustainability is, like, written into the Alaskan constitution.

My dad actually was the head marine biologist for the commercial salmon industry.

That's amazing.

He was part of it being such a sustainable industry.

Kim, voice-over: My dad really influenced me a lot.

I would go out hunting and fishing with my dad, and I learned a lot about where the food comes from, so I really look up to him.

Is there, like, a main flavor you want in here?

No.

I really want the seafood to just kind of, like, marry each other.

You know, the key to that always, like, is time together while not overcooking the seafood.

Be friends, guys.

Yeah.

Right on.

All right.

Thank you.

♪ All right.

Ooh.

Just checking my temperature.

Moving along, moving along.

Adjo, voice-over: Hearing that my dish was one of the favorites in round one was such a relief.

Going into round two, I'm feeling very confident.

I'm bringing in the heat.

I am from the Midwest, and I live in St. Louis, Missouri.

When I moved to St. Louis, the first thing that I fell in love with was chicken wings, so the dish that I'm making is sweet and spicy St. Louis wings.

St. Louis-style wings are double-fried, but I try to steer away from frying, so I'm going to boil the wings in ginger, garlic, and curry.

It will cook all of the spices into the chicken, and then I'm gonna use a air fryer to get the chicken crispy.

It's gonna give us the same result, but it's gonna be healthier.

I am serving my wings with cucumber salad.

It has bell peppers, onions, tomatoes, and some mayo.

I am very proud of the life that I've built for myself in St. Louis.

I am a single parent, and I live with my daughter Olivia and my son Harrison.

My kids love my wings, and I think it's something that's very unique to that region, and I definitely want to make the Midwest proud.

Two more minutes on this one, and then we'll pop it into the air fryer.

♪ Just grating some carrots, trying not to grate my fingertip.

I'm from the South Atlantic region, and I live in Fort Mill, South Carolina.

I'm gonna make us a Low Country crab cake with a spicy remoulade and a Carolina slaw.

For my slaw, I'm gonna start off with some apple cider vinegar, some sugar, some Dijon mustard, let that simmer, and then I'm gonna dump that over my cabbage-and-carrot mixture.

It's just a different style of slaw, not your average coleslaw.

The Low Country is the marshes of South Carolina.

We use crushed butter crackers with the crab meat instead of bread crumbs, and we also put seasonings in there similar to a Cajun spice.

This is the part where it gets messy.

Tim, voice-over: Living in the South Atlantic definitely heavily influenced my cooking.

Being a military brat, I've lived all over the country.

I wasn't born there, but I've made it my home, and I'm here to make South Carolina and the Low Country proud.

Please don't burn.

Ah, perfect.

I want the judges to really taste dill in the chowder.

♪ Right.

Here we go.

I'm from the Southwest, and I live in San Antonio, Texas.

I'm making chicken-fried steak with mashed potatoes and cream gravy.

It's a dish that originated in Texas.

Chicken-fried steak is meat that is pounded, battered, and fried.

I've had a lot of chicken-fried steak, so I will say that the pressure is definitely on.

I mean, I grew up with this dish, so, yes, 100%.

You're making anything battered, you're supposed to use one hand for the dry and one hand for the wet.

It never works out for me.

Ha ha ha!

Chicken-fried steak is something that I make all the time for my family.

I've been married to my wife Amanda for 36 years, and we have 3 beautiful daughters.

I really want to make them and my community proud.

Hey, Jon, how's it going?

Good.

It's going great.

This looks familiar to me.

My mom used to make this, and every time, I got really excited.

It's a Texas classic.

Make sure that batter is on there nice and evenly, and if there's one thing I took away from Texas, it's using a lot of black pepper.

Black pepper's crucial in the batter.

Yeah.

I can't wait to taste it.

Good luck.

I appreciate it.

Thank you.

Make some breadcrumbs, taking out my stress a little bit this way.

I'm from the South Atlantic region.

and I live in Charlotte, North Carolina.

I'm making a chicken veggie casserole, and I'm also serving it with a biscuit.

For my casserole, I'm poaching some chicken and sauteing celery, carrots, and button mushrooms, just good comfort food.

North Carolina represents a big part of my cooking journey.

That's where my home is.

That is where I learned how to cook more traditional American food.

My kids love this.

It's one of their favorites.

My daughter's 14, and my son is 16.

My kids love to cook.

We make it a point to have family dinner, and it's always Southern food.

I had never had a biscuit until we moved to North Carolina.

See, normally at home, my kids will be shredding this, but here, I kind of have to improvise.

♪ Hi!

Ha ha!

I had to see what was going on here.

Nothing exciting here, just pulling chicken breasts that I'm trying to beat to death.

OK. Wow.

I love that.

Ha ha ha!

[Laughs] 20 minutes, everyone, 20 minutes.

♪ Let's see.

♪ That is really good.

Marcella, voice-over: The clams are open, and I am so happy about this.

I really don't want those to overcook.

Now it's time for me to get started on my pasta.

We don't break our spaghetti.

Marcella, I don't break spaghetti.

I don't break.

I don't do it.

You don't break spaghetti?

Thank you.

Thank you.

No.

Make sure nothing sticks togethah.

Just let a Massachusetts accent out.

Yikes.

[Laughs] ♪ Mae: OK, OK, OK, trying to do my best.

For my Chinese chicken salad, I'm frying egg roll wrappers and rice sticks.

Those two add such a crunchy, wonderful texture.

Hope the judges are hungry.

♪ Yeah.

Adjo, voice-over: When my chicken comes out of the air fryer, it looks exactly how I want it to be.

Yeah, baby.

Adjo, voice-over: I add them to a honey-based sauce, so they're sweet and spicy.

Oh, I'm gonna save this tiny piece for me.

Heh heh.

♪ All right.

We're good.

Now that my chicken is shredded, I add a lot of cream cheese, mozzarella, and cheddar cheese.

♪ Then I add it to my ramekins to bake it for a few minutes so I can melt the cheese.

I'm gonna add a little bit of breadcrumbs on top to make it nice and pretty.

♪ I wish my puffs were going a little faster.

Doug, voice-over: My Pittsburgh Pockets are not as deeply golden as I want them to be.

We're just gonna crank the heat up a little bit more because I think it calls for it.

All right, guys, we got 5 minutes left.

5 minutes.

OK, OK, OK.

Here we go.

♪ One more batch to go.

Tim, voice-over: Time is flying by, and I have a lot left to do.

My crab cakes look nice and golden brown on the outside, so I start making my remoulade.

I mix in some mayonnaise, some ketchup, some capers, little bit of lemon juice, and some hot sauce.

Don't be scared with the hot sauce.

♪ Tastes chowdery.

So these bread bowls are sourdough.

What we do need in Alaska is more carbs.

We need a lot to get through the winter.

Hee hee hee!

One minute, everyone.

Mae: Ooh!

Adjo: Whoo!

Doug: Yeah.

OK. OK. Adjo: Oh, that looks so good, Jon.

Adjo, when you fry something, you can never go wrong.

That is very true.

♪ 30 seconds, everyone.

Y-y-y-eah.

I'm trying.

Cucumber.

♪ Ramos: 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

Time's up, everyone.

Whoo!

That was fun.

♪ [Birds chirping] Ramos: Today we wanted to get a sense of who you are, where you live, and what cultural roots and influences have shaped you into the home cook you are.

Kim, we're starting with you.

Hi, you guys.

Hi.

Hello.

Kim: So I'm representing the Pacific Northwest, and I made for you an Alaska seafood chowder.

Hollingsworth: I think the execution on this dish is great.

I really like the sweetness of the corn with the smokiness of the sausage.

I like the different flavors and textures of all the seafood.

Thank you.

You know, when I spoke with you earlier, Kim, you talked about, oh, really wanting all the flavors to come together in this, and I really think you succeeded in that, and that reindeer sausage is just really tasty in this.

Thank you.

I think this was a first time for all of us, right, having reindeer, yeah.

Ramos: Adjo, come on over.

I am here representing the Midwest.

I made sweet and spicy St. Louis-style wings.

Lam: I love the honey and the heat on the wings, that sweetness with the chili.

It really warms your mouth, but I also had a lot of flavor in there, too.

Derry: I agree.

This dish feels very much St. Louis, you know, being able to kick back and have some wings, but I do think that your salad is not adding a whole lot to the dish.

I do think that it is lacking a little salt.

Even just a little acid will give you a little more flavor.

OK. Doug, come on down.

♪ Chefs, I'm from the Northeast region, and I made what I call the Pittsburgh Pocket because in the Pittsburgh region, we love foods that are stuffed.

Lam: I really love the sauce.

Pittsburgh, it is the home of ketchup, right, but I really love the bit of onion, actually, in here and the bit of pickle, but the flavor of the cheese kind of took over the pocket for me.

Derry: I agree, Doug.

I was like, "Oh, my gosh, ham--yes, pickle--yes, puff pastry--yes," but then I bit into it, and the back half of it was underbaked dough, but I like everything that you have in it.

Thank you so much.

Ramos: Tim, come join us.

I'm from the South Atlantic region, and I made the Low Country crab cake with a spicy remoulade and a Carolina slaw.

Hollingsworth: The sauce is really, really delicious.

It has just the right amount of creaminess to complement the crab cake and just the right amount of spice.

Derry: I agree, and it feels like South Carolina, and I think your slaw has tons of flavor.

There is nothing lacking.

Ramos: Marcella.

I'm here representing New England, and so I made for you today, chefs, linguine with littleneck clams.

This is a beautiful bowl of clams.

I'm not getting any sand, so that's great, and I also love that you made it brothy because the liquid has really gone into the pasta and you can taste that clam.

Lam: I would only say, some of the clams were perfect, and some did taste a little overcooked, but the flavor was magnificent.

Thank you.

Ingrid, come join us.

Hi.

Hello.

I represent the South Atlantic.

I made a chicken and vegetable casserole with a buttermilk biscuit.

This really reminds me of something that you would eat in North Carolina, just very, very hearty.

The biscuit on top, I just want to dive into it.

Lam: Yeah.

I agree, and this totally feels like that sort of comfort food vibe you want, but all the vegetables shine.

Thank you.

Ramos: Jon, come join us.

OK. Howdy, judges.

Howdy, Jon.

I'm from the Southwest, and I made you all chicken-fried steak with mashed potatoes.

Did you bring your own plates?

I did.

I collect indigenous Mexican pottery.

I thought it would be important for you all to see.

Yeah.

Thank you for sharing that.

Yeah.

The breading has a lot of flavor in it, but the steak itself needs a little salt.

Derry: I think you need to be more aggressive in your seasoning in the mashed potatoes and the chicken-fried steak.

I told you in round one, I want more flavor, and I'm still asking for it, buddy.

Promise you.

I promise you.

Don't let me down, Texas.

Ramos: Mae.

OK. Hello, judges.

Hi, Mae.

I represent the West coast, and this is a Chinese chicken salad.

Hollingsworth: I see Chinese chicken salad on a menu, I always order it.

This is a great version.

Thank you so much.

The marinade really came through, and it's like every bite, you're discovering something new.

Oh, thank you.

Yeah.

I agree that this is a really terrific version of the Chinese chicken salad.

You know, a lot of people, me included, would look at a dish like this, and be like, "Oh, that's not, like, traditional Chinese cuisine," but it totally makes sense.

It's representative of the many generations of Chinese people and Chinese cooks, and I totally see this as a dish that represents California.

Thank you.

Mae, voice-over: I feel like I nailed the theme, but you could do a wonderful dish, but somebody else comes with a better one, so you don't know.

You're always in suspense.

♪ It was great to see how these home cooks brought their area of the map to life in these dishes.

What are your standouts for this round?

I got to say Mae's Chinese chicken salad.

I so appreciate all the different cuts, all the different textures.

You could taste the soy sauce, but it was delicately used.

I could have eaten that all day.

I agree wholeheartedly.

I think that it had so much flavor.

One of my other favorite dishes was Marcella's dish.

She did that linguine with the clams.

It was just a well-executed dish.

It was so good.

That sauce was so rich in flavor.

Mm-hmm.

One of my favorites for the round was Kim's seafood chowder, and I really liked the fact that, you know, it speaks to where she's from, and it's not one ingredient, but the sum of all of those ingredients that won that dish over for me.

We had so many amazing dishes, but there were a couple that didn't quite hit the mark today.

You know, I really loved Jon's chicken-fried steak, but if you don't get seasoning right, it just changes the whole dish.

Jon still feels like he's holding back.

He could be a little bit more aggressive.

Ramos: Yeah.

I mean, he's repping Mexico and Texas, so-- I mean, come on.

You know, another dish that I felt was kind of lacking was Doug's dish.

Derry: The actual pocket was undercooked, and when you have a dish that has such few elements, you don't have room to miss something.

Yep.

Derry: I have to say, I loved Adjo's wings, but if you take the wing off the dish, that cucumber and the pepper salad was vastly underseasoned.

Give me salt.

Heck, give me acid.

Give me herb.

It needed something more.

All right.

It sounds like you guys have come to an agreement.

Lam: Yeah.

I think so.

OK. Let's bring back the cooks.

♪ We asked you to cook and present a dish that best represents the area of the country where you live.

As a reminder, the judges are tracking your performance and growth from week to week in order to determine which 3 of you will make it to the finale.

Before we get to the top dishes of the round, the judges did feel there were a couple dishes that did have room for improvement.

The first dish that we thought had some room for improvement was... Doug with your Pittsburgh Pocket.

When you only have essentially 3 elements on a plate, you have to make sure that you execute in a big way, and, unfortunately, the puff pastry on the bottom was a little undercooked.

The other dish that didn't fully hit the mark for us was Adjo with your sweet and spicy wings.

We loved the healthier alternative to the double-fried wings, but our problem was more with the salad on the other half of the plate, which we felt could have used more seasoning, could have used more dressing, more flavor.

Shall we move on to the top two dishes?

Judges, which recipes stood out for you this round?

The first dish that blew us away was... Mae with your Chinese chicken salad.

Way to go, Mae.

Thank you.

Derry: The chicken was a star in the dish, and you could taste the marinade, and there were so many elements, but all of them were very important to make the overall dish really sing.

Thank you so much, judges.

So our other favorite dish of the round was Kim's.

Ha ha!

Kim, your Alaskan seafood chowder really, really represented your region, using all the amazing seafood that you have around you, and we even got to try reindeer sausage, introducing us to ingredients we've never had before.

I mean, it was a really, really well-thought-out dish.

Great job.

Thank you so much.

Great job, you two, but there can only be one top dish.

Judges, who had your winning dish this week?

The winning dish this week was... Mae.

Wow.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Lam: Your Chinese chicken salad showed us something new about a dish we've seen a million times before, and we genuinely could not stop eating it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Mae, voice-over: I knew in my heart I gave it everything I had, and my Chinese chicken salad got the top award, so I'm feeling pretty good.

You all did such a great job this week, showing us who you are and where you're from.

We'll see you next week for more of your great American recipes.

Bye.

Ha ha!

Next time on "The Great American Recipe"... You'll have 60 minutes to prepare a dish featuring a grain.

Marcella, voice-over: Risotto is kind of in my DNA.

Mae, voice-over: For this challenge, I had to think of something different.

Kim: Does Mae have oatmeal?

Quinoa's going in.

Derry: I'm interested to see if Kim uses a quinoa any other way.

It's the quinoa that needs to shine.

The winner of the round is... ♪