The Common

Team Common is taking the day to relax and recharge. So we’re bringing you a feature from our friends in the WBUR newsroom.

Today’s story comes from climate and environment reporter, Paula Moura.

According to state data, most people who have taken advantage of the electric vehicle rebates in Massachusetts live in wealthier communities. But the state is working on ways to make EV access more equitable, including by funding one project that is bringing electric vehicle chargers to Black communities. The project also aims to boost jobs and highlight local landmarks.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Darryl C. Murphy here,

Team Common is off today, but we just wanted to pop in your feed real quick to wish you a very happy Thanksgiving. We really hope you're eating good out there.

We are so thankful for all of you who choose to spend your time with us. 

We love making this show for you.

Thanks as always for listening to The Common. We’ll talk to you soon.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Which means this Wednesday is a Friday, and it's the second day of our two-part Thanksgiving cooking series with Dorchester’s Comfort Kitchen.

Today’s recipe comes from Comfort Kitchen's principal bartender and bar manager, Danameche Teron, who came by the studio to share "Dream Street", one of their signature drinks. It should be a great fit alongside your Thanksgiving meal.

Dream Street

Combine in a shaker:

Spirited Version:

Two ounces of Sorel

Free-Spirited Version:

Two ounces of Sorel

Add ice, shake

Strain into a coupe or your favorite glass

Garnish with an edible pansy (or any other edible flower)

*Coconut simple recipe:

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Comfort Kitchen in Dorchester was one of Boston’s hottest restaurants to open this year. The New York Times even included it on their list of 50 best new restaurants across the country. As a special holiday treat, today and tomorrow we’re featuring two recipes, one side dish and one cocktail, from Comfort Kitchen's menu that you can make at home to help impress your Thanksgiving guests.

For today's recipe, Comfort Kitchen Chef Partner Kwasi Kwaa joined us in the WBUR Kitchen to make a signature snack off their small plates menu.

Comfort Kitchen's Okra

Okra

STEPS:

Preheat your oven to 350

Heat a nonstick pan over medium high heat (you want it to be hot enough as if you were searing a steak)

Once the pan is mostly heated, add enough canola oil to coat the bottom of your pan

Throw in your okra with a healthy pinch of salt

Once your okra is nicely seared on all sides, add butter. The butter will foam, once the foam subsides, season with garam masala

Pop the pan in the oven for another 3-5 minute until okra is cooked through

Serve immediately with masala yogurt* and crumbled plantain chips

*Masala yogurt recipe:

Season plain greek yogurt with salt, lemon and garam masala to your liking

**To make this meal vegan/dairy free, try substituting butter with olive or coconut oil and swapping out greek yogurt for your favorite vegan yogurt alternative.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Winter is coming, and with it, higher heating bills. Thankfully there is a range of options available to Massachusetts residents in need of heating assistance.

WBUR Climate and Environment Reporter Miriam Wasser joins The Common, to give a rundown of all the ways you can save on heat this year. 

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

America was, and continues to be, forged by the gun industry. The Gun Machine, a new podcast from WBUR and The Trace looks at this intertwined history -- from the founding of the nation, to the gun industry's roots here in Massachusetts, to the country's very present gun violence crisis in an eight-part series.

Producer for The Gun Machine Grace Tatter joins The Common with a preview of this new project.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

The fifth National Climate Assessment was released this week. The report spans the nation, but the section focused on the Northeast paints a picture of a region hit hard by the effects of climate change, including extreme heat, heavy rains, flooding and the inequality concerns that come along with a changing climate. But there's good news, too. The report tips its hat to climate-specific policy efforts in the Northeast and regional support for green infrastructure, such as nature-based approaches to managing rising seas in coastal communities.

Today, WBUR Senior Climate and Environment Correspondent Barbara Moran joins The Common with some regionally-specific takeaways from this national report.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Last month, Governor Maura Healey announced that the state would cap the number of families guaranteed shelter in the state-run shelter system at 7,500 families. Last week, that cap was reached, which means qualifying families must now sit on a waitlist, prioritized based on safety and health concerns, until a slot opens up within the system.

WBUR Senior Health and Science Reporter Gabrielle Emanuel joins The Common with more on the waitlist process, and what options remain for families in need of shelter in Massachusetts.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

Head Start centers offer early education and care to children under five from low-income families. But recent shortages in staffing have lead some Massachusetts centers, including here in Boston, to cut down on the number of children they're able to serve. Reducing the number of available slots means more families are finding themselves on wait lists, which are often already lengthy.

WBUR Education Reporting Fellow Emily Piper-Vallillo joins The Common with more on this teaching shortage and how it is impacting these already strained centers.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

New Englanders are known for having a buttoned up rule or two, including around alcohol (we're look at you, no happy hour). And it's not uncommon to hear some of our region’s founding colonizers, the Puritans,  getting blame for that. But how involved were the Puritans in shaping our current rules around liquor, really?

WBUR reporter Simón Rios looked into this as part of WBUR's Field Guide to Boston series. He joins The Common with more on Massachusetts liquor laws, and how the traditions of the Puritans may or may not inform how they exist today.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.