All Of It with Alison Stewart

A recent trend report from real estate site StreetEasy showed the top searches from people house hunting in NYC and the big winner was the borough of Queens. StreetEasy economist Kenny Lee joins to share his reporting about what Queens neighborhoods are buzzing and we take listener calls on why they love NYC's most diverse borough.

The Public Theater's "Under The Radar" Festival is underway from Jan. 4 – 22. Festival director Mark Russell discusses the performances being featured and how the event is curated, and performing artist Migguel Anggelo previews his "outrageously queer concert experience," 'LatinXoXo'.

This year, maybe one of your resolutions is to eat healthier or add more plant-based foods to your diet. Or maybe you're a vegetarian looking for some recipes to shake up your menu. Or maybe you're trying to move beyond high carb meals. Cook and food blogger Vasudha Viswanath has you covered in her new cookbook, The Vegetarian Reset. She joins to discuss and take listener calls.

Saag Lasagna Recipe from The Vegetarian Reset

Here I replace the traditional meat sauce with a glorious spinach gravy that I typically use for saag paneer, and use ricotta for simplicity instead of the béchamel. This is a rich, unique dish that will rightly take center stage at every dinner party. In the photo the recipe was doubled and baked in a 9-x-13in baking dish, which is great for a crowd.

Ingredients

2–3 medium zucchini (1 lb/450g)

1½ tsp salt, divided, plus more forsprinkling zucchini

1 Tbsp ghee, or butter

1 tsp cumin seeds

1½ cups/240g diced onion

1 Indian green chile, jalapeño pepper, or Thai chile, chopped

1 Tbsp grated ginger

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 cup/240ml water

1 lb/450g fresh spinach, if frozen thawed

1 tsp garam masala

15 oz/425g whole-milk ricotta

½ tsp cracked black pepper

2 oz/56g grated low-moisture mozzarella

Directions

Step 1. Slice the zucchini lengthwise into 1/16 in/1.5-mm-thick slices using a mandoline slicer or knife. (Be very careful while using a mandoline; always use cut-resistant gloves.) Place the zucchini in a colander over a bowl, sprinkle it lightly with salt, and set aside for 15–20 minutes to draw out the moisture as you make the saag.

Step 2. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Heat the ghee in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the cumin seeds and wait until they are aromatic, then add the onions. Increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and caramelized.

Step 3. Lower the heat to medium, add the green chile, ginger, and garlic, and sauté for 30 seconds. Pour in the water and bring to a boil. Mix in the spinach gradually and cook until it just wilts. Add the garam masala and 1 teaspoon salt and mix well. Turn off the stove and use an immersion blender to blend the spinach mixture until smooth.

Step 4. Mix the ricotta, remaining ½ teaspoon of salt, and the pepper well in a bowl and set aside. Pat the zucchini slices dry with paper towels.

Step 5. To assemble, in an 8-x-8-x-1 1/2 in/20-x-20-x-4-cm baking pan or casserole dish, layer one-third of the spinach saag, one-third of the zucchini slices, and half the ricotta. Repeat. Top the last layer

of ricotta with the remaining spinach saag and zucchini slices, and sprinkle mozzarella evenly on top.

Step 6. Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until the cheese melts and turns golden brown in spots. Serve hot.

Cooking Notes

Freeze leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Defrost in the microwave.

Reprinted with permission from THE VEGETARIAN RESET by Vasudha Viswanath, The Collective Book Studio, January 2023.

The celebrated novel, Women Talking, by Miriam Toews, follows an isolated community of Mennonite women who must decide what to do after learning they had been suffering sexual attacks by men within the commune. Writer and director Sarah Polley joins us to discuss adapting the novel for the big screen. We are also joined by actor Jessie Buckley, who stars in the film as Mariche, a woman skeptical that leaving the community is the right thing to do.

"Women Talking" is in select theaters now, and will expand to more theaters on January 20th. 

Vulture TV critic Kathryn VanArendonk joins to preview what to expect from television and the streaming world in 2023. We talk the second season of "Yellowjackets," a new show starring Natasha Lyonne, and of course, season four of "Succession." Plus, we take your calls.

The author of What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat returns with another book taking aim at pervasive myths and biases about fat people. Aubrey Gordon joins to discuss, "You Just Need to Lose Weight": And 19 Other Myths About Fat People.

[REBROADCAST FROM April 10, 2019] Miriam Toews joins us to discuss her novel, Women Talking. The book tells the story of women in a Mennonite community who thought that they and other girls and women were being violated in the night by demons coming to punish them for their sins, but eventually learn that they were in fact drugged and attacked by a group of men from their own community. It is now a film from director Sarah Polley. 

Sitting members of Congress plotting to overthrow the government. A violent pro-Nazi group working to destroy democracy. The podcast, Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra, reports a little-known story about an ultra-right movement in the United States in the early 1940s. Michael Yarvitz, co-executive producer, and Rachel Maddow, host and co-executive producer, join us on the anniversary of January 6 to discuss the podcast.

Ceiling shattering journalist Barbara Walters died December 30 at the age of 93. NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik joins to talk about her impact and legacy.

This week, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, nicknamed Pelé, was laid to rest in Santos, Brazil, overlooking the Vila Belmiro stadium where he scored so many of his 1,283 goals. The only player to win three Men's World Cups, Pelé is considered to be the best to ever play the global game. Over 200,000 people descended on Santos to pay respects to the icon this week, and ESPN senior writer Sam Borden was in Brazil for the event. He detailed his experience in a piece for ESPN titled, "Pelé finally comes home, after a lifetime of belonging to the world." Borden is with us to commemorate Pelé and take your calls.