The Splendid Table

In the United States, many people choose ‘happy hour’ as a way to unwind after a hectic day at work. A routine that involves heading to a lively bar with pals, and ordering cheap drinks and food within a small window of time.  However, in Italy this end of day ritual is called aperitivo, and no offense to all of the happy hour frolickers, but it tends to be a bit more civilized. Our contributor Shauna Sever spoke with Marisa Huff, the author of Aperitivo: The Cocktail Culture of Italy, to understand the spirit of aperitivo.
Our presenting sponsor is Bob's Red Mill, provider of Organic Farro. It's got a great, chewy texture and nutty flavor, and it's perfect in salads, as the base for a dish, or in stews. Find more recipes at the Bob's Red Mill website.
Broadcast dates for this episode:

• July 10, 2018

Host Francis Lam meets up with restaurateur and activist Andy Shallal to talk about how he makes choices, from the decor to the menu, to make a restaurant that appeals to both black and white diners. We meet Jorge Muñoz Zapata, aka The Angel of Queens; since 2004, he has been feeding people on the same corner in Queens every night, funded only by food donations and money from his own pocket. Step inside the glorious Peacock Room with Lee Glazer of the Smithsonian Institution to learn the story behind one of the world's most elegant and adorned dining rooms. And Lisa McManus of America’s Test Kitchen takes on picnic food with a review of the best in pie and cake carriers. Francis talks with listeners about how to cook with the outer leaves and stalks of vegetables like cauliflower and cabbage - and how to use the scraps of lemon - instead of composting them.
Broadcast dates for this episode:

• July 7, 2017 (originally aired)
• March 30, 2018 (rebroadcast)
• July 6, 2018 (rebroadcast)

Welcome to Splendid Table Selects, our mini podcast where we share the interviews that inspired us or just made us better cooks. In this Selects, we visit with Steven Raichlen, the master of the grill and smoker, and author of many cookbooks including The Barbecue! Bible and Project Smoke. Most of us think of smokers as being almost exclusively used for cuts of meat like brisket, ribs, and pork shoulder. But, as Raichlen tells contributor Joe Yonan, there is an entire world of meatless uses for them: potatoes, eggs, cheese, even water and ice cream! Enjoy their conversation and try Raichlen's recipe for Double-Smoked Potatoes.
Our presenting sponsor is Bob’s Red Mill. So many of our favorite vegetarian recipes (including Joe Yonan's Peasant’s Bowl) call for beans. Bob's Red Mill has one of the finest selections of beans available. From black turtle to heritage orca and cranberry beans, there’s an abundance of choices.
Broadcast dates for this episode:

• June 26, 2018

We have unexpected stories from the South when host Francis Lam talks to historian John T. Edge about the "back to the land" movement and migration of San Francisco hippies to the rural South, where they became farmers in the 1960-1970s. Edge is the author of The Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South. Hanna Raskin, food editor and critic for The Post and Courier, collaborates with the Southern Foodways Alliance podcast Gravy to present a story about Indian immigrants who have found new lives, homes and kitchens in the increasing number of hotels and motels that they own across the southern U.S., and we get high on the hog with Tucker Shaw from Cook's Country when he tells about the tradition of South Carolina Smoked Fresh Ham.
Broadcast dates for this episode:

• June 16, 2017 (originally aired)
• June 22, 2018 (rebroadcast)

As the world continues to cope with the emotional shock felt since learning last week of the death of Anthony Bourdain, we at The Splendid Table wanted to offer a tribute to Tony. We produced this special episode in which we hear from both host Francis Lam and retired host Lynne Rossetto Kasper, who'd interviewed Tony many times over the years. The show also features a special interview from our archives, from 2004, when Lynne interviewed Tony Bourdain alongside his friend and colleague Chef Thomas Keller. The show can be heard using the audio player above. See this page for full transcript. Below you'll also find a collection of our interviews with Tony.
Broadcast dates for this episode:

• June 14, 2018

Welcome to Splendid Table Selects, our mini-podcast where we share the interviews that inspired us or just made us better cooks. A lot of people consider Philadelphia home of the cheesesteak. That is obviously not wrong, but there's an impressive vegan scene happening in the city as well in large part because of Kate Jacoby and Rich Landau. They're the owners of three restaurants in the city: Wiz Kid, V Street and Vedge – as well as Fancy Radish in Washington, DC. Host Francis Lam met up with the husband/wife chef team in the kitchen of Vedge where they talked about the ever-expanding world of vegan food.
Thanks to our presenting sponsor Bob's Red Mill featuring nutritional yeast, a vegetarian dietary supplement with a pleasantly cheesy flavor. People typically use it in sauces and scramlbes, or just sprinkled over vegetable or popcorn.
[Ed. note: Francis Lam also asked Jacoby and Landau about their three essential vegan dishes for the home cook. Hear them discuss recipes for Summer Corn Custard, Shiitake Dashi, and Chickpea "Tuna" Salad in our Key 3 segment.]
Broadcast dates for this episode:

• June 12, 2018

Welcome to Splendid Table Selects, our mini-podcast where we feature great discussions about the joy of making and sharing good food. This episode of Selects features an appetizing conversation with The New York Times food writer and cookbook author Melissa Clark about cooking from the bounty of vegetables and herbs available in the springtime. She talks with Managing Producer Sally Swift about the recipes for three wonderful dishes: Green-Poached Eggs with Spinach and Chives, Crushed New Potatoes and Pea Salad with Mustard Seed Dressing, and Shaved Zucchini and Avocado Salad with Green Goddess Dressing.
Thanks to our presenting sponsor Bob's Red Mill featuring both Red and Golden Bulgur. Use their quick-cooking whole grain in Melissa Clark's bonus recipe for Bulgur "Pilaf" with Swiss Chard and Dried Apricots.
Broadcast dates for this episode:

• May 29, 2018

Host Francis Lam pulls apart some common food myths with Doc Willoughby from America’s Test Kitchen. We learn about the Scandinavian idea of hygge and how this concept of coziness influences the region's food with Copenhagen chef and writer Trine Hahnemann. Contributor Melissa Clark talks to Desmond Tan and Kate Leahy about Burmese cuisine and the tea-eating culture of Myanmar. And Ole G. Mouritsen joins us to talk about an often overlooked element of cooking - mouthfeel. Francis also answers listener questions about roasting frozen vegetables and scaling down a recipe for super-sized gooey cinnamon rolls.
Broadcast dates for this episode:

• June 2, 2017 (originally aired)
• May 25, 2018 (rebroadcast)

Welcome to Splendid Table Selects, our mini-podcast where we feature great discussions about the joy of making and sharing good food. This episode of Selects features a lovely conversation between the legendary Patti LaBelle and our contributor Shauna Sever. We all know Miss LaBelle is an iconic singer, but what you might not know is that she is nearly as passionate about cooking as she is about music. She found the kitchen to be a magical place ever since she was a small child, learning to cook and bake alongside her parents. As a well-traveled superstar, she now shares her culinary experience and knowledge with the world by way of a series of cookbooks and recipes including her world-famous sweet potato pie.
Thanks to our presenting sponsor Bob’s Red Mill featuring Organic All-Purpose Flour, premium baking flour freshly milled from organic hard red wheat. You can use it in all kinds of baking goods: yeast breads, quick breads, biscuits, muffins, cookies, cakes and pie crust.
 
 
Broadcast dates for this episode:

• May 15, 2018

Host Francis Lam talks to food historian Jessica Harris about her life among African-American icons in 1970s New York City, part of her new memoir My Soul Looks Back. We head into the kitchen of Talde with chef Dale Talde for another in our ongoing segment The Key 3. America’s Test Kitchen’s Jack Bishop brings us the interesting results of a bagged popcorn taste test. And we look at "trash cooking" with Scraps, Wilt + Weeds cookbook authors Mads Refslund and Tama Matsuoka Wong. Plus, Francis answers listener questions about using garden-fresh vegetables to complement homemade pasta, and what it means when a sauce recipe calls for cooking "until the sauce breaks" and whether that's a good or bad thing.
 
Broadcast dates for this episode:

• May 19, 2017 (originally aired)
• May 11, 2018 (rebroadcast)