All Of It with Alison Stewart

James Beard Award-winning cookbook author Carla Lalli Music joins us to discuss her new book, That Sounds So Good: 100 Real-Life Recipes for Every Day of the Week. In the new cookbook, Lalli Music splits the recipes between weekday and weekend cooking so that you can make great food no matter how much time you have. 

Fat Noodles with Pan-Roasted Mushrooms and Crushed Herb Sauce

4 to 6 servings

This method of cooking mushrooms—by pan-roasting them, then finishing with browned butter—is incredibly effective, whether you’re adding them to pasta or not. In the second step, the butter and aromatics wash a ton of flavor over the mushrooms, glossing them up.

Kosher salt; freshly ground pepper6 garlic cloves, divided1 lemon½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided1 teaspoon mild chile flakes, such as Aleppo pepper1 shallot1 pound maitake mushroomsChunk of Parmigiano, for grating and serving2 cups lightly packed herbs (leaves and tender stems), such as parsley, mint, and/or arugula2 tablespoons unsalted butter1 pound wide pasta noodles, such as lasagnette or pappardelle

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season it very aggressively with salt (figure ¼ cup salt per 6 quarts water). Pick out the smallest garlic clove and finely grate it into a small bowl. Grate in the zest of the lemon, then stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil and the chile flakes. Season oil mixture with salt and pepper and set aside. 

Thinly slice the remaining 5 garlic cloves and the shallot. Trim the mushrooms; tear into bite-size pieces. Juice the zested lemon into a small bowl. Grate enough Parm to yield ¼ cup (save what’s left for passing at the table). Set all aside. 

Add the herbs to the boiling water and cook until very softened, 2 minutes. (Cooking the herbs both mellows and deepens their flavor; they will have less fresh brightness but take on a richer, more vegetal flavor.) Use a mesh spider or tongs to remove the herbs and hold them under cold running water until cool enough to handle, about 10 seconds. Squeeze out as much excess liquid as possible. Thinly slice the herbs and stir them into the oil mixture. Taste and adjust with more salt and chile flakes, if desired. Set the herb sauce aside. 

Lower heat under the boiling water to maintain a simmer—you want to get your mushrooms going before starting the pasta. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high for 1 minute, then add 3 tablespoons olive oil and half the mushrooms. Cook, tossing, until the mushrooms are coated with oil, then cook, undisturbed, until browned on the underside, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with salt and toss, then cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are browned all over and cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes more. Transfer mushrooms to a large plate and repeat with the remaining 3 tablespoons oil and mushrooms, then add these mushrooms to the first batch. Bring the water back to a boil.

Melt the butter in the Dutch oven over medium heat until it foams, 15 to 30 seconds. Add the sliced garlic and shallot and cook until the garlic and butter are golden brown and the shallot is translucent, about 2 minutes. Return the mushrooms to the pot, along with any accumulated juices, and cook, tossing, until well combined. Lower the heat to keep warm.

Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, 2 to 3 minutes less than the time indicated on the package. Use a mesh spider to transfer pasta to the pot with the mushrooms, then add 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid. Increase the heat to medium and cook, tossing energetically, until a sauce forms that coats the pasta, 2 minutes. Add the ¼ cup grated cheese, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and another big splash of pasta water and cook, tossing, until cheese is melted and the sauce is clinging to the noodles, 1 to 2 minutes more. Add a few spoonfuls of herb sauce to the pasta and stir to combine. Serve with remaining herb sauce and more cheese at the table.

-------------------------From the MarketMild chile flakesShallotTender herbsMaitake mushroomsWide pasta noodles

Spin ItInstead of Aleppo pepper, use a smaller quantity of regular red pepper flakes or lots of blackReplace the shallot with ¼ onionThe herbs are truly interchangeable, in any ratio, and can include basil, chives, tarragon, and/or dill Use shiitake, oyster, and/ or cremini mushrooms instead of maitakeBig tubes like rigatoni or paccheri are good too-------------------------At HomeSalt and pepperGarlicLemonOlive oilParmigianoButter

Spin ItA few dashes of sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar can replace the lemon juice and zestGrana Padano or pecorino can replace the Parm-------------------------Tall Pot AltIf you don’t have a Dutch oven, use a large heavy skillet to cook the mushrooms and combine with the shallot and garlic. Scoop out 2 cups of pasta cooking liquid, then drain the pasta and return to the pot, and build your sauce from there. If the sauce gets tight or sticky, or the cheese clumps together, lower the heat and add more water than you think you should. Cook over low heat, stirring gently but constantly, until the cheese melts and the sauce is smooth.

Reprinted from That Sounds So Goodby Carla Lalli Music. Copyright © 2021 by Carla Lalli Music. Photographs copyright © 2021 by Andrea Gentl and Martin Hyers.Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC.

Morgan Ome, assistant editor at The Atlantic, joins us to talk about the new Netflix smash hit, "Squid Game." The Korean series has captured viewers worldwide as it follows hundreds of cash-strapped contestants who have accepted an invitation to compete in children's games for a tempting prize, but of course, the stakes are deadly. Ome discusses the show and its impact in her recent article, "In Netflix’s Squid Game, Debt Is a Double-Edged Sword."

This month, supermodel Linda Evangelista announced she was suing the company behind the cosmetic procedure CoolSculpting, alleging that she had been “brutally disfigured.” Rhonda Garelick, dean of the School of Art and Design History and Theory at Parsons, joins us to discuss the case, and cosmetic procedures more broadly. She wrote about Evangelista’s lawsuit in a piece for The New York Times titled “The Cruel Paradox of Linda Evangelista’s Fate.”

Wildflowers is widely considered Tom Petty’s greatest solo album and some of the best writing of his whole career. A new documentary uses unearthed footage of Petty and present-day interviews with the people involved to show how it came together. Director Mary Wharton joins alongside Petty’s daughter Adria Petty and Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell (who played on all Petty’s solo ventures) to discuss "Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: The Making of 'Wildflowers.'"

The film premieres in theaters worldwide today, October 20th, on what would have been Petty's 71st birthday, with encore screenings in select locations starting October 21st. 

Actor, craftsman, outdoorsman and whiskey enthusiast Nick Offerman joins to discuss his new book, Where the Deer and the Antelope Play: The Pastoral Observations of One Ignorant American Who Loves to Walk Outside. The "Parks and Rec" star's latest book is series of meditations and personal stories about understanding, experiencing and protecting our natural world.

Dorie Greenspan, James Beard Award-winning cookbook author and cookie expert, joins us to discuss her new cookbook, Baking With Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple.

Apple Pandowdy

Makes 6 Servings A PANDOWDY’S A PIE that’s got only a top crust, often one made of odd-shaped pieces of dough—the dessert was probably created to put pastry scraps to good use. My favorite way to make it is to cut triangles of pie dough and arrange them in a mishmash over the fruit. Neatness is never the point with a pandowdy—it’s the haphazardness, the dowdiness of the pie, that makes it beautiful. When you bring it to the table, break up the crust, let it fall into the filling and then spoon out into bowls.

You can put spices in the filling, but I hope you’ll try this spare lemon-up-front version first. Having apple pie without cinnamon may seem un-American; in fact, it’s unassailably good. I make this dessert throughout the year with whatever fruits are plentiful.

FOR THE FILLING⅓ cup (67 grams) sugar2 medium or 1 large lemonAbout 2½ pounds (about 1 kilo;) sweet, juicy apples, such as Golden Delicious, Fuji or Gala (4 to 6 large)2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

FOR THE CRUSTOne 11- to 12-inch round All-Butter Pie Dough (see below), frozen or well chilled (or use store-bought pie dough; look for dough that’s already rolled out)Milk for brushingSanding or granulated sugar for dusting

Ice cream or whipped cream for serving (optional)

A WORD ON THE CRUST: Instead of cutting out shapes from the dough, you can just lay the whole crust over the fruit, moistening the rim of the pie pan first, pressing the dough against the rim and then tucking the overhang under the rim or against the sides of the pan. Cut slits in the crust and at serving time, crack the crust into the fruit.

TO MAKE THE FILLING: Put the sugar in a large bowl and grate the zest from the lemon(s) over it. Reach into the bowl and use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until the sugar is moist and fragrant.

Peel and core the apples and cut them into chunks about ½ inch on a side or into slices that are about ¼ inch thick. Add the apples to the bowl with the sugar and squeeze over the juice from the lemon(s). Toss everything around in the bowl until the apples are coated with sugar and juice. Set the bowl aside, stirring now and then, while you preheat the oven.

Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 425 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch pie pan and put it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a baking mat.

Give the apples a last turn and then pile them into the pie pan—don’t forget the juices in the bowl. Dot the top of the apples with the butter.

TO PREPARE THE CRUST: Lay the chilled round of pie dough on a cutting board and, using a pizza wheel or a knife, cut it into pieces. I usually opt for triangles of various sizes and shapes, but long strips and squares work, as do rounds made with cookie cutters. Place the pieces of dough over the apples in whatever pattern pleases you—I usually go for haphazard. It’s nice if you leave a little space between the pieces so the juices can bubble over. Lightly brush the dough with milk and sprinkle with sanding sugar.

Bake the pandowdy for 20 minutes—the crust might get a little color and the juices may just begin to bubble. Turn the heat down to 375 degrees F and continue to bake until you can see juices bubbling all the way to the middle of the pan, 25 to 35 minutes more. If the crust seems to be getting too dark too fast, loosely tent the pandowdy with foil or parchment.

Place the baking sheet on a rack and let the pandowdy cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. The pandowdy is good warm or at room temperature and very good with either ice cream or whipped cream.

STORING: Like most pies, this is meant to be eaten soon after it’s made. However, if you have pandowdy left over, you can keep it covered at room temperature for up to 1 day and rewarm it in a 350-degree-F oven before serving.

Playing AroundIn fall and winter, I make pandowdy with apples and pears (traditional and my favorite), sometimes with dried fruit tossed in. In the spring, I make it with rhubarb, with or without strawberries. And in summer, I turn to blueberries or mixed berries, peaches, nectarines, even plums. Use your favorite fruit pie filling recipe, but don’t use any thickeners.

All-Butter Pie Dough

Makes two 9- to 9½- inch crusts

3 cups (408 grams) all-purpose flour¼ cup (50 grams) sugar1½ teaspoons fine sea salt2 sticks (8 ounces; 226 grams) unsalted butter, frozen or very cold, cut into small piecesUp to ½ cup (120 ml) ice water

Put the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse to blend. Scatter the pieces of butter over the flour and pulse the machine in long spurts until the butter is well incorporated. This could take more than a dozen blitzes. Add the ice water a little at time, processing after each addition. Stop when you have moist clumps and curds (you may not need all of the water)—don’t process until the dough forms a ball; pinch a bit of the dough, and it should hold together easily. Turn the dough out, divide it in half and shape each half into a disk.

Working with one disk at a time, flour a sheet of parchment paper, center the dough on it, flour the dough and cover with a second sheet. Roll the dough into a round that’s between 11 and 12 inches in diameter. (The rolled-out dough can be wrapped well and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months).

If the dough is cold enough, fit it into a buttered pie pan (or the pan you’re using); leaving whatever dough hangs over the edge. If it’s not cold, chill it until it’s workable, then fit it into the pan. Keep the second round between the sheets of paper and slide it onto a baking sheet. Freeze or refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (If you have not refrigerated or frozen the rolled-out dough earlier, you can refrigerate the unbaked crust for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 2 months.)

Follow the directions in the recipe you’re using for filling and finishing the crusts. If you’re making an open-faced pie and need a partially or fully baked bottom crust, either crimp the dough that’s hanging over the pan to make a decorative edge or trim the excess dough even with the rim of the pan and press the tines of a fork against the dough. Piecrust should always be cold when it goes into the oven.

GETTING READY TO BAKE: Center a rack in the oven and preheat it to 375 degrees F. Place the pie pan on a baking sheet and fit a piece of parchment or foil against the crust; fill with dried beans or rice.

TO PARTIALLY BAKE: Bake for 20 minutes, then carefully remove the paper or foil and weights and bake for another 3 to 4 minutes—you want the crust to be firm, but it doesn’t need to take on much color.

TO FULLY BAKE: Bake for 20 minutes, then carefully remove the paper or foil and weights and bake for about 8 minutes more, or until the crust is beautifully golden. Transfer the crust to a rack and let cool.

STORING: The rolled-out crusts or the unbaked pie shells can be wrapped well and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months. You can also freeze baked crusts (in the pans) for up to 2 months.

Excerpted from BAKING WITH DORIE: Sweet, Salty, & Simple © 2021 by Dorie Greenspan. Photography © 2021 by Mark Weinberg. Reproduced by permission of Mariner Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved

4-time Grammy-winning pianist Robert Glasper joins us during his "Robtober" residency at the Blue Note Jazz Club. Over 66 shows in 33 days, he’s joined by guests including Meshell Ndegeocello, Christian McBride, Common, Chris Rock, and others.

Emmy, Grammy, and Tony award-winning Billy Porter joins us to discuss his new memoir, Unprotected, a story of his early life growing up in Pittsburgh before the fame and success.

Porter will be discussing the book at virtual event with B&N October 20, in conversation with Leslie Odom Jr at 7pm, and also an in-person event at Symphony Space on November 3, at 8pm.

The Planetary Society's Kate Howells joins to discuss two exciting developments in space exploration. Over the weekend, a probe named "Lucy" blasted off from Cape Canaveral, beginning a decade-long mission that will culminate in the first flyby of a pair of binary asteroids as old as the Solar System. And later this year, NASA will launch the James Webb Space Telescope, which will enable scientists to study how the first galaxies were formed, and learn about potentially habitable planets outside our solar system.

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield became an internet star in 2013 with a viral video of himself performing David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” on the International Space Station. Now he’s left the capsule and dared to write a novel. The Apollo Murders follows astronauts, spies, and killers in the American space program in the 1960s and 70s. Hadfield joins us to discuss his debut novel.