- [Michael] Tonight on WPBS Weekly: Inside the Stories.

Well who knew it would come to pass?

Johnny Spezzano of The Border eating healthy?

Johnny joins us in the kitchen for a healthy fire grilled meal to kick off the new year.

And discover the history of Boxing Day in Canada.

It's a holiday that originated in Britain.

Your stories, your region, coming up right now on WPBS Weekly: Inside the Stories.

(uplifting music) - [Announcer] WPBS Weekly: Inside the Stories is brought to you by.

The Watertown Oswego Small Business Development Center.

The JM McDonald Foundation.

The Estate of Grant Mitchell.

And the Dr. D. Susan Badenhausen Legacy Fund of the Northern New York Community Foundation.

Additional funding from the New York State Education Department.

- Good Tuesday evening everyone and welcome to this edition of WPBS Weekly Inside the Stories.

I'm Michael Riecke.

Happy Boxing Day to our Canadian viewers.

With New Year's Eve just around the corner there's no doubt some of you will be making resolutions.

If healthy eating is one of them, Well we've got you covered.

We're back in the kitchen tonight with Johnny Spezzano and his fire brick oven.

He joins forces with personal chef Lisa Dietterich to create a healthy dish you can't deny.

(transition music) - Hey!

Come on!

(rock music) Welcome to Johnny on Fire.

I'm Johnny Spezzano.

Welcome into my kitchen.

And happy New Year!

Happy - I like your hat.

- Thank you.

Happy New Year, Johnny.

- This is Lisa Dietterich.

She's from 44 North Boutique Catering in the Thousand Islands.

And today we're gonna make poke bowls.

These are good healthy snacks.

- Yeah, absolutely.

It's a good option.

- Good option, so we're gonna cook it with fire.

Let's go over our list of ingredients.

All right, we're gonna get down to business.

What's this big yellow thing right here?

- So that is a spaghetti squash.

It does come alive in the wintertime.

This is when you'll find them at the store at their peak.

It's right here in the wintertime.

It is a good low calorie, low carb option.

For this poke bowl.

- And the reason they're called spaghetti squash is 'cause they're kind of a spaghetti consistency.

- Yeah.

- So we'll be getting to that.

All right, so a few other things.

Lots of fresh vegetables.

- Yes.

Yep, lots of fresh vegetables.

We've got edamame, mini peppers, we've got cucumbers, green onions, carrots, cilantro.

Some fresh grated ginger.

- [Johnny] And then of course we're gonna have tuna and shrimp.

- [Lisa] Correct.

- [Johnny] As our proteins.

- Yes.

- All right, let's get started.

And we're gonna be cooking it on fire, so.

We'll start with our spaghetti squash.

And we're gonna cut this right here.

- Yes.

- On TV.

- Yeah, so I usually cut mine the other way.

This way.

- You know what?

- There's so many ways you can cut this squash.

- Tell me how you like to do it.

- [Lisa] You can cut it into rings if you want.

- [Johnny] Okay.

- You can cut it this way, but I prefer to cut it this way.

I think it gives it more, the noodles, a longer appearance.

- Man, you learn something new every day.

All right, do you want to dig in?

- I got it.

- Okay.

Wait 'til you guys hear what she does.

She actually created her dream job.

She manifested it.

All right, so there's our spaghetti squash.

We're not gonna keep all that right?

- No no, we have to scoop all that out.

- Okay.

So we'll take this out.

- [Lisa] If you want to be my guest - [Johnny] Right here.

And.

Can you keep the seeds like pumpkin seeds?

- [Lisa] Yeah you can, or you can dry them out.

You can start them fresh in your garden.

- They look just like the pumpkin seeds.

Now the nice idea, I mean New Year's, sure.

Normally I would have prime rib.

But we're gonna have something a little bit more healthy.

- Yeah, you know?

- Because there's a lot of people out there who are gonna be starting their New Year's resolutions.

- Of course.

Yeah, right after Thanksgiving and Christmas and, you know, you want a nice healthy option.

- All right, so let's get these in the fire.

Right now we're gonna roast them up.

All right.

We'll let that spaghetti squash cook up and while that's happening, let's cut some vegetables.

- Yeah.

(transition music) - All right, we got our veg ready.

So next let's look at the sauce.

- This sauce is what I think makes the whole thing.

And again, if you are a vegan, this comes with honey.

You can switch out for maple syrup if you'd like.

If you're gluten-free like I am, I use tamari instead of traditional soy sauce with it.

So it is consistent of rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and honey.

And the fresh grated ginger.

- Grab what we need.

I'm gonna move this to the side.

For one sec here.

Put it right here.

- So you need the ginger.

- It's interesting because you bring up the fact.

That you can modify it.

I suppose when you're dealing with the public you have to do lots of modifying.

- Yes.

Yeah, I come across people who are vegans, vegetarians, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, nut free.

There's a lot of variation of diets and, you know, sometimes people want to do elimination diets.

They want to see do I have a gluten intolerance?

Is it dairy?

So I work along with - - You gotta work with everybody.

- Yeah, of course.

- All right, what are we gonna make - oh, grab the bowl we're gonna make our sauce in.

- Yes, and I actually have to grab my grater.

- [Johnny] Okay.

This is very, very exciting.

All right.

- Alrighty, so we're just gonna grate our ginger.

I do love fresh ginger.

- [Johnny] Ginger's so good for you too, right?

- [Lisa] Absolutely, yeah.

- [Johnny] Smells so good.

- I don't ever measure how much to put in there.

- Why is that?

- Well I think you just have to measure with your heart.

Whatever it tells you.

- [Johnny] I agree.

I'm like that too.

- [Lisa] I love ginger, so I put extra ginger in mine.

- [Johnny] Oh it smells so good.

- [Lisa] I guess that's about a teaspoon.

- [Johnny] Move that right here.

- [Lisa] Yeah, thank you.

- [Johnny] Go ahead and throw that right in.

Okay.

- Okay, and so like I said, I use tamari.

I feel like this has more of a stronger flavor than soy sauce, but it is the gluten-free option.

- [Johnny] Tamari.

- [Lisa] Tamari.

Yes.

- I've never had it before.

Very similar to a soy sauce.

- Yeah, absolutely delicious.

- Soy today, here tamari.

- Yes.

(laughs) - Okay.

And this is vinegar?

- This is rice vinegar.

- Rice vinegar.

- Yup.

We'll do a couple tablespoons of that.

- [Johnny] This is gonna be amazing.

With our seared tuna.

- [Lisa] And then this is our sesame oil.

- [Johnny] Okay.

Ooh.

- [Lisa] Couple tablespoons of that.

And I saved the honey for last.

So it doesn't stick.

Inside the measuring spoon.

- Let's see, since she doesn't measure how much she puts in, let's see.

- Today I am.

- Oh, you're gonna - you don't want to overdo it.

Yeah.

- [Lisa] We'll do a couple tablespoons of this.

If you want to lighten up on the sugar of the honey you can do one tablespoon.

- [Johnny] Okay.

- [Lisa] You can also switch this out for maple syrup as well.

- When I heard Lisa was gonna come on the Johnny on Fire episode I said I can't wait.

- I was pretty excited.

- Yeah.

I'm so happy that you could make it.

So this is gonna go across our seared tuna, our shrimp, and the rest of - - We're gonna pour it right over the bowl.

Yep.

- [Johnny] Okay.

- [Lisa] And this is gonna give the spaghetti squash a nice flavor.

- All right, let's check in on the spaghetti squash and get ready to sear our ahi tuna and saute our shrimp.

- Yeah.

Let's go.

(transition music) - So we're letting the spaghetti squash continue to roast.

I'm here with Lisa Dietterich from 44 North Catering.

Okay, so let's talk about you.

You said you were a personal trainer.

- Yes.

- And of course you assembled meals for, what is that called when you're making meals?

- Meal prep.

- Meal prep.

- Yeah.

- Does that kind of keep you on track of eating right?

- Absolutely.

Yeah, you definitely want to make sure that your meals are prepared.

You know, you have a long, busy day, or maybe you bring your meals with you.

This is a great option for a heatless meal.

It does not need to be heated up.

So this is - you can carry it with you all day.

But for the most part meal prepping has been a part of my life for my entire adult life.

- All right, so you've dabbled in the restaurant business, bar business, and then you decide you have this idea which is what?

- I really wanted to just go to your home and cook.

- Okay.

Sorta be someone's personal chef?

- Yeah.

- Okay.

- Personal trainer, personal nutritionist.

Moving on to personal chef.

(laughs) - All right, so you decide to do this.

And how does it go?

- Well I asked myself one day if I could do something for the rest of my life and be happy and not feel like work, what would it be?

And cooking was my number one option.

I do love to share my love of cooking with other people.

Makes me extremely happy.

- If you want to be happy a few times a week, you just want to follow 44 North Boutique Catering on Facebook because she puts a lot of the meals up that she's preparing.

All right, so I'm kind of excited to keep going with this poke bowl.

- Okay.

- We've got our spaghetti squash.

Gotta be almost ready.

It's roasting in there.

- Oh yeah.

- What's next?

What are our next steps?

- Well we're gonna make our sriracha aioli.

And then we're going to move on to cooking the ahi tuna and the shrimp.

(transition music) - Our spaghetti squash.

We shredded it.

It turned into spaghetti strands.

It was perfect, right?

- Came out perfect, yes.

- Yeah, it's got that wood fire taste too it.

I took a little sneak.

- Delicious.

- All right, so we've got that separated.

Now in the wood-fired oven right now we have some cast iron skillets heating up, so we're hoping that this is gonna sear up.

So we've got our shrimp.

You're gonna season that.

Go for it.

- [Lisa] Yep.

- [Johnny] Season it up.

Okay.

- So we got a little smoked paprika and garlic.

I'm just gonna toss on top of here.

- [Johnny] I never smoked paprika.

Looks good.

- [Lisa] It's the best.

- [Johnny] Yum.

- And we've got some coarse salt.

A little umami seasoning.

- [Johnny] Okay.

- [Lisa] And pepper.

- [Johnny] Ooh.

Man.

- [Lisa] And then we're just gonna toss that up.

- Very complex.

You gonna use your fingers?

- [Lisa] Of course.

(Johnny laughs) Not afraid to get dirty.

- [Johnny] Yeah, that's right.

- Massage that in there pretty well.

- All right, amazing.

Those are gonna taste so good.

I can't wait to fry those up.

All right, so our tuna.

What are we doing to it?

- [Lisa] Okay.

You just have to press it into your sesame seeds.

I've got toasted sesame seeds and black sesame seeds.

- [Johnny] Where do you get these?

Where do you find those?

- I order these online, but I'm sure you could find them at The Mustard Seed in Watertown.

Hannaford would probably have some.

I do try to shop local as much as possible.

- All right, so we've got some cast iron skillets that are in the wood-fired oven right now.

We're gonna pull them out.

And we're gonna sear this tuna.

Get my glove.

Okay, these are gonna be hot!

- Hot hot hot.

- Okay.

- All right.

- Okay, throw our tuna in.

Ooh, listen to that seer.

(tuna sizzling) Are we going to put it back in the oven or... - I think we should let it roll for a minute and see what happens.

- We took a thermometer test of the pan before and it was over 900 degrees.

- Yeah.

We're gonna get seer on it.

- [Johnny] I can see it cooking.

- Yep.

I guess if you were doing this on a stove.

About 20 to 30 seconds per side.

- Man, that looks beautiful.

Do we want to just throw the shrimp in beside that?

- I think we could.

- Let's do it.

- Let's try it out.

- Yeah.

- Hey.

I know this is your style of cooking.

Let's see what happens.

Let's throw a few pieces in there.

Saute the shrimp.

I can already smell that cooking.

- [Lisa] I think this is done.

- [Johnny] Okay.

- [Lisa] Beautiful.

- Okay.

Man, this smells incredible already.

Get your little tongs ready.

We're cooking it on the countertop on a 900 degree pan.

Revolutionary stuff here.

- [Lisa] Give them a few more seconds.

- [Johnny] All right.

- [Lisa] If they're sticking to the pan like that they're not ready.

- Okay.

While those are cooking.

It is almost a new year.

- It is.

Salute.

- Salute.

All right.

Let's flip.

Let's see what happens.

- [Lisa] And now they're ready.

- How awesome.

It's very important not to overcook shrimp, right?

- Yeah.

About two to three minutes, we say.

- [Johnny] We've all had that experience where we've cooked shrimp at home and it tastes like rubber.

- [Lisa] Yeah, we don't want any of that.

This is good shrimp too.

- So we're gonna build a bowl, okay?

We've got our delicious - bring our tuna back over here.

We've got our delicious ahi tuna.

Okay.

Cooked.

Rare.

- [Lisa] Absolutely.

- [Johnny] Okay.

Are you gonna slice it?

- [Lisa] I am.

- [Johnny] Okay, so - - We're not gonna do a thin slice.

We want nice thick chunks.

- Okay.

- But really this is your bowl.

You can make it however you'd like it.

- [Johnny] That's the key.

Oh wow.

That came out perfect.

- [Lisa] It did.

- I'm quiet because my mouth is watering.

'Cause this looks like it's gonna be so good.

I can't wait 'til we assemble our bowl.

- It's definitely a number one requested item here.

- Do a little flip flop on the shrimp.

- [Lisa] Yeah.

- And that looks amazing.

How cool is that?

We cooked it right on the countertop.

- Yeah.

- We had this pan in there for like 40 minutes.

(laughing) All right, so grab our bowls.

We're gonna start to assemble.

All right, so Lisa came up with a great way.

We're gonna do - you want to grab the spaghetti squash?

- Yeah, of course.

- She came up with a low calorie way of doing this, and low carb too, by using spaghetti squash.

- [Lisa] Yeah, and you could also use rice noodles if you wanted to.

You can use actual rice.

But this way.

It's cutting out a lot of carbs.

- All right, build it for us.

- [Lisa] All right, so do the squash.

We've got a little bit of our homemade sauce here.

Usually do a few tablespoons and we're also gonna put this on top as well.

(Johnny chuckles) - I'm thinking about all those great sauces including the honey that's in there.

- Alrighty.

Want some cucumbers.

And again, you can put as much or as little vegetables you'd like in here.

Put some tomatoes.

Think we need some avocado as well.

You want to cut that bad boy for me?

- Oh, an avocado just showed up.

- Here you are.

(laughs) - I just started - - Oh, all right.

That's one way to do - I'm just gonna do it like this.

I heard these have a giant pit in the center of them.

- Yes.

(Johnny laughs) Alrighty, and we got some carrots.

This is my favorite is edamame.

- Ay papi, hand me this right here.

- All right.

- Okay.

So I don't know how you would do this.

- [Lisa] I'm gonna let you be creative.

How about that?

- [Johnny] We could just put a piece - - [Lisa] Yeah, that looks beautiful.

- [Johnny] Is that okay?

- [Lisa] Yeah.

- Okay.

All right.

Okay, a little avocado.

You know how good avocado is they say for you.

- Yes.

Very good.

Good healthy fat.

- Okay.

Okay.

- [Lisa] All right.

You know me with my presentation.

I gotta make it look pretty.

- Shrimp next?

Or nah?

Still too soon?

- Let's do some pickled onion.

- Ooh, my favorite.

Wow, the colors of this dish.

- Yes, and how about cranking open that kimchi for me.

- Okay.

She grabbed some kimchi.

'Cause I requested it.

And I'll open it with my avocado-laden fingers.

There you go.

I'll get a paper towel here.

- So obviously the kimchi is optional.

This is really good for - - [Johnny] Is this a spicy one?

- [Lisa] No.

- Okay, so this kimchi is cabbage that is fermented, right?

- [Lisa] Yup.

It's pretty good for your gut health.

- Okay.

- So there's that.

- Okay.

- We need a little... Yeah, we're gonna use that last.

- Okay.

- Yes, the shrimp and the tuna, so we'll get a little tuna on here.

- Dude, the colors right now are unbelievable.

And you know what I love is that Lisa will come to your home and cook for you and your family.

So all right.

- [Lisa] Yep, throw a few pieces of shrimp on there.

- [Johnny] Some shrimp in there.

- [Lisa] Beautiful.

- [Johnny] Okay, get the sauce ready.

- [Lisa] Of course.

- [Johnny] Okay.

- Alrighty.

- Uh-oh.

Uh-oh, nature's candy.

(Lisa laughs) From the sea.

- [Lisa] Let's just drizzle a little aioli on top.

- Fabulous.

- Alrighty, now we're gonna do.

A little more of our homemade sauce.

- We'll do some cilantro.

- I'm gonna get the forks.

- I'm getting excited.

I'm ready to dig in.

- Yeah, let's do a few pieces of cilantro.

I love cilantro.

I usually put a little bit extra on mine.

- [Johnny] Okay.

- [Lisa] Some green onions and... - [Johnny] What are we missing?

- Sprinkle of sesame seeds.

All right.

Manjia manjia.

- Homemade poke bowls right here in the kitchen.

We've got all of this good stuff on here.

And can't wait to dig in.

Happy New Year.

- Happy New Year's, Johnny.

- Yeah, check out the Johnny on Fire page at wpbstv.org.

Because there's all kinds of back episodes there.

And of course the Dinner at Johnny's podcast as well.

Okay, you ready?

- Yeah.

- Okay, let me get a shrimp.

And a piece of this tuna.

Both at the same time.

- Okay, here we go.

- All right.

- Ready?

So good.

- So good.

- So many flavors.

Layered delicious.

That spicy aioli in there.

- Sesame oil is my favorite.

- And that tuna.

Came out so good.

All right, one more bite.

And then we're gonna have another little glass of champagne.

'Cause it is New Year's and we're celebrating.

- That sounds great.

- And we're hoping for a great year for all of you.

And cheers.

Johnny on Fire.

We'll see you next time.

(rock music) So good.

- Of course yesterday was Christmas.

Today in Canada, it's Boxing Day.

This traditional holiday originated in Britain and yes, boxes are a big part of that tradition.

With more on how this day came to be, here's WPBS producer Gail Paquette.

(transition music) - [Gail] The last strings of holiday tunes are fading away.

The presents are unwrapped and everyone is stuffed.

Christmas may be behind us, but hold on.

The holidays are not quite over when we have Boxing Day.

- Boxing Day brunch for me.

Always.

Baileys and coffee.

It's critical after a long, you know, couple holiday days.

A Baileys and coffee, a nice big brunch, and then when all the crazy people that want to go out shopping leave the house, I get to put my feet up and relax 'cause there's not a chance in heck you're gonna find me at a mall on that day.

- [Gail] For many Americans, Boxing Day is that holiday that always shows up on the calendar between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve.

The day might otherwise be pretty mysterious to most people in the US where the holiday is not widely observed.

And where its origin and significance are not well known.

December 26th is not only a day for Santa Claus to catch his breath.

It's also a public holiday known as Boxing Day in the United Kingdom and other British commonwealth countries such as Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

Although Boxing Day sounds like something that would involve gloves, silky shorts, and a ring, it has nothing to do with the sport of boxing.

- It's always been a just a super family get together day that we would be more relaxed than we would say the day before Christmas with all the hustle and bustle and everything going on.

- [Gail] The BBC explains that Boxing Day got its name when Queen Victoria held the throne in the 1800s.

And is born out of tradition of wealthy families boxing up gifts to give to the poor.

Since servants of aristocrats were required to work on Christmas Day, the following day became the time when their employers filled up boxes with gifts, money, and Christmas leftovers for them.

Much like a holiday bonus.

Servants could then go home to share the gift boxes with their families.

Another popular theory is that the Boxing Day moniker arose from the alms boxes that were placed in churches during the advent season.

For the collection of monetary donations from parishioners.

Clergy members distributed the contents of the boxes to the poor on December 26th.

Which is also the Feast of St. Stephen.

The first Christian martyr and a figure known for acts of charity.

Ireland celebrates December 26th as St. Stephen's Day.

Although the practice of alms giving on December 26th has faded, with charity now being given in the weeks leading up to Christmas, the Boxing Day name has endured.

While its altruistic origins still factor into how some celebrate Boxing Day, in modern day times The holiday now encompasses feasting on delicious food and spending quality time with family and friends.

In Canada, people tune in to the World Junior Hockey Championships.

While in Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, it's also a day for sports.

Watching soccer, rugby, and cricket.

And yes, shopping.

Traditionally a big day for getting deals, the savings have begun to shift towards Black Friday.

- It's sort of a chill, everyone wakes up - oh I do pancakes.

I make pancakes for everybody because I often have all the cousins and family over.

So we do a Boxing Day pancake tradition.

So that's usually what happens.

And then there's lots of like, you know, cleaning up, playing with stuff, getting the kids outside as much as possible.

Tobogganing if there's snow.

- [Gail] With so many competing narratives, it's difficult to know exactly how Boxing Day began.

But it is a favorite date over the festive period.

With the rush of Christmas Day over, it's a lovely opportunity to relax with the family, enjoy the gifts you've received, and spend time in the fresh air working off the excesses of the day before.

For WPBS Weekly, I'm Gail Paquette.

- That does it for this Tuesday night edition.

Join us next time for a fresh look Inside the Stories.

We share more tips on healthy eating and exercise, one of the top resolutions made each year.

And get to know Roxanne Locy, a pottery maker in St. Lawrence County.

Her colorful works just might inspire you.

Plus meet musician and Oswego County native Gary Carpentier.

His rich vocals and original lyrics will soothe you.

Meantime, if you have a story idea you'd like us to explore, we'd love to hear about it.

Drop us an email at WPBS Weekly at wpbstv.org.

And let's share it with the region.

That's it for now, everyone.

Have a safe and happy New Year.

We'll see you in 2024.

Take care.

- [Announcer] WPBS Weekly: Inside the Stories is brought to you by.

The Watertown Oswego Small Business Development Center.

A free resource offering confidential business advice for those interested in starting or expanding their small business.

Serving Jefferson Lewis and Oswego Counties since 1986.

Online at watertown.nysbdc.org.

Additional funding provided by.

The JM McDonald Foundation.

The Estate of Grant Mitchell.

The Dr. D. Susan Badenhausen Legacy Fund of the Northern New York Community Foundation.

And the New York State Education Department.

- All right, we're gonna need some oil.

That's for sure.

Ooh, look at that.

- Okay.

- All right.

- Wow!

Amazing!

(laughing) Now that's hot!

(fire alarm blaring) (gentle guitar melody)