All Of It with Alison Stewart

Matthew Raiford joins us to discuss his cookbook, Bress 'n' Nyam: Gullah Geechee Recipes from a Sixth-Generation Farmer. "Bress 'n' nyam" means "bless and eat" in the Gullah language. He shares recipes from the cuisine inherited across seven generations of his family, including hot buttermilk biscuits and salmon cakes on pepper rice. In 2010, Raiford and his sister inherited the family farm that was purchased by their great-great-great grandfather in 1874. In the book, he traces a history of community and family through the lens of food.

This segment is guest-hosted by Kerry Nolan. 

Recipe: Gullah Rice 

This one-pot dish is akin to a purloo or a jambalaya. It evokes the traditional tomato-based Savannah Red Rice but is steeped in a hearty vegetable stock. When I was coming up, a bowl of rice with some roasted vegetables in it was often dinner, especially when meat proved scarce. I still find it comforting, just as I did during those lean years when I was at Howard University, right after getting out of the Army. Anytime someone would say they didn’t have any food in the house, I would invite folk over and serve my version of Gullah Rice, finished with a handful of fresh arugula that wilts lightly from the heat.

Serves 4

1 cup red onion, roughly chopped4 tablespoons bacon grease or butter1 bell pepper, roughly chopped2 cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped1 teaspoon smoked paprika1 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt1 whole habanero pepperOne 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes1 3/4 cups Vegetable Stock (recipe follows)1 cup Carolina Gold Rice or another long-grain rice

In a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, sauté the onion in the bacon grease until it starts to soften, approximately 3 to 4 minutes, then add the bell pepper and sauté for another minute or two more.

Toss in the garlic, paprika, salt, and habanero pepper. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and vegetable stock, then let the vegetable mixture come to boil.

Stir in the rice and turn the heat down to a simmer and cover. Every 5 minutes or so over a 20-minute period, stir the rice until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove the rice from the heat, taste and add a pinch or two more of salt to your liking. Allow the rice to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Tip: If you want to add meat, sauté sliced smoked or andouille sausage, or chicken tenders cut into chunks, for 5 to 7 minutes before adding the onion. For shrimp, add peeled and deveined shrimp during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Recipe: Vegetable Stock 

Makes 6 to 8 cups

2 quarts water1 pound yellow onions, roughly chopped (do not use sweet onions)1/2 pound baby bella mushrooms, roughly chopped1/2 pound carrots, roughly chopped2 stalks celery, roughly chopped1 tablespoon sea salt1 sprig rosemary1 sprig thyme1 sprig oregano2 cloves garlic, smashed

Place all the ingredients in a large stockpot over high heat and bring to a roaring boil. Turn the heat to low and let the stock simmer for 1 hour.

Remove the stock from the heat and let it cool to room temperature. Once cooled, strain the stock into 2-cup portions in sealable containers and place in the refrigerator, where it will keep up to 2 weeks. In the freezer, the stock will keep up to 6 months.

Tip: Make a double or triple batch of this stock to keep on hand for rice dishes, soups, and sautés. You can freeze it or keep it refrigerated for up to two weeks. You may add clippings from other vegetables, such as asparagus and other greens, for added flavor, depth, and nutrients. Throw any of your leftover vegetable peels into your compost bin.

Excerpted from Bress ‘n’ Nyam: Gullah Geechee Recipes from a Sixth-Generation Farmer. Copyright © 2021 CheFarmer Matthew Raiford and Amy Paige Condon.

Jamila Wignot joins us to discuss directing the new documentary, "Ailey," on the day it hits theaters. Wignot's film paints an intimate portrait of famed choreographer Alvin Ailey. 

The film will be in theaters starting July 23. 

This segment is guest-hosted by Kerry Nolan. 

New Jersey Monthly editor Ken Schlager joins us with a rundown of the best beaches and cultural happenings to check out this summer at the Jersey Shore.

This segment is guest-hosted by Kerry Nolan.

A new book explores the complications and frustrations of navigating the American yoga world as a Black, queer, self-described fat woman. Author, wellness advocate, and yoga instructor, Jessamyn Stanley, joins us to discuss her second book, Yoke: My Yoga of Self-Acceptance.

This segment is guest-hosted by Kerry Nolan.

Is outer space for billionaires or for the rest of us? Well, the answer is complicated. Chronically underfunded NASA decided about a decade ago that, in order to carry out missions that further our scientific understanding of our universe, publicly funded science needed to develop a symbiotic relationship with private space companies, like Elon Musk's SpaceX, Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin, and Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic. To talk about that symbiosis, we're joined by Dr. Philip Metzger, a planetary physicist at the University of Central Florida and now-retired founder of NASA’s "Swamp Works" at Kennedy Space Center.

This segment is guest-hosted by Kerry Nolan.

Bass player William Parker and dancer Patricia Nicholson Parker join us to discuss the Vision Festival, a local free jazz festival now in its 25th year and running July 22 through July 31.

 This segment is guest-hosted by Kerry Nolan.

Sarah Fraser, co-founder of Instinct Dog Training, joins us to answer listener's questions on dog training, behavior, adoptions, and dealing with separation anxiety as dog parents return to the office.

This segment is guest-hosted by Kerry Nolan.

Sesame Workshop is producing a new documentary series titled, "Through Our Eyes," which tells stories through the eyes of children who are dealing with major issues like homelessness, parental incarceration, military caregiving, and climate displacement. Sesame Workshop director Kay Wilson Stallings and episode director Kristi Jacobson join us to discuss. The first episode premieres July 22 on HBO Max.

This segment is guest-hosted by Kerry Nolan.