Special Sauce with Ed Levine
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On this episode of Special Sauce we pay tribute to the great author, chef and cooking teacher Raghavan Iyer. He introduced much of America to the joys of cooking and eating Indian food. We talked to Raghavan last in March of 2023 about his life, his work, and the last book he ever wrote, "On The Curry Trail". Raghavan talked openly and movingly about his terminal Stage 4 cancer diagnosis and the work he was doing on healing comfort food. His voice occasionally wavered -- you could hear the pain in it -- but he was clear-headed and just as articulate as ever. Raghavan had so much to say, we devoted two episodes to his story, which we have condensed into one. Tragically, he died just as the two episodes dropped. So give a listen to the wit and wisdom of Raghavan Iyer.
With the new year fast approaching we thought we would help bring it in by re-releasing -- or should I say reheating -- one of our favorite 'Special Sauce' episodes of all time. It features both my extraordinary conversation with Michelle Zauner and a great talk about the relationship between food and music with Kenji. Michelle is the founder and lead singer of the great indie rock band Japanese Breakfast. And her NYT best-selling memoirist is titled 'Crying in H Mart'.
On this episode of Special Sauce serious eaters will meet Roy Shvartzapel, who makes transcendent panettone at his LA online bakery From Roy.
With the holiday season in full swing, this serious eater's attention turns to eating and baking cookies. And who better to shoot the breeze with on this rich topic than author and baker Erin Jeanne McDowell, who has been called the fairy godmother of baking. She's got some tricks for us.
As we go about planning our upcoming holiday feasts, it's a pretty good bet that at some point we're going to pick up a bottle of wine or two to share with family and friends. That's why I'm returning to my conversation with someone who's been a guiding light for wine connoisseurs and beginners alike, Eric Asimov, the wine critic for The New York Times.
Thanksgiving leftovers can sometimes be a freighted topic for serious eaters. Last year, trying to quell my own Thanksgiving leftovers anxiety and confusion, I had Deb Perelman and J. Kenji Lopez Alt, longtime friends and co-hosts of their own podcast The Recipe, on Special Sauce. We covered a lot of ground in our discussion, everything from the joys of eating leftover cold pie for breakfast to the wisdom of waffling your leftover stuffing. We had so much fun that I decided it was worth reheating and serving to serious eaters again this year. Enjoy!
Thanksgiving and the holiday season are upon us and that means this serious eater's thoughts turn to pie! And so I thought I would perform a public service by inviting perhaps our greatest pie baking teacher, Erin Jeanne McDowell from the YouTube series 'Happy Baking', to come on Special Sauce and talk about all things pie.
If you're like me, you're probably already worrying about holiday dinners and parties that you might have to bring stuff to. And at least some of us might be a little punchy at the thought of cooking or baking for friends. So to the rescue comes friend of Special Sauce, Smitten Kitchen's Deb Perelman.
On this episode of Special Sauce The New York Times's wine writer Eric Asimov shares his democratic and unsnobby approach to both food and wine, which invites newcomers and longtime enthusiasts to explore their own wine experiences.
On this episode of Special Sauce I talk to author and fellow pie lover Stacey Mei Yan Fong about her new book '50 Pies, 50 States, An Immigrant's Love Letter to the U.S. Through Pie'.
In part two of our discussion, Ruth Reichl and I get into how the American government has played a major role in corrupting our food system.
On this episode of Special Sauce legendary food critic Ruth Reichl talks about the documentary film "Food & Country" which she stars in and co-produced.
On this episode of Special Sauce we talk to Sullivan Street Bakery founder Jim Lahey about his revolutionary no-knead bread making technique.
On this episode of Special Sauce, Kenji and I dig deep into his (almost) foolproof pan pizza recipe.
On this episode of Special Sauce we meet Rollen Chalmers, a third-generation African-American rice farmer based in South Carolina, who is reclaiming his roots one grain of Carolina Gold rice at a time.
What happens when food writers take Ozempic? New York Magazine's Adam Platt and I discuss our experiences with the weight loss drug on this episode of Special Sauce.
Ah potatoes! How do we love them? Let me count the ways. Perfectly crispy, salty french fries, golden brown herb coated roasted potatoes, creamy smooth mashed potatoes. The not so lowly spud has been an intense field of inquiry for our friend Kenji Lopez Alt for years now. For this week’s re-heated episode, he and I take a deep dive into some of the now famous posts he wrote for Serious Eats back in the day. In one, he delves into the mystery of McDonald’s French fries and in another he unlocks the secrets of oven roasted potatoes.
For this episode of Special Sauce Sasha Marx and Katie Leaird return for more pasta wisdom and pleasure.
For this episode of Special Sauce we’re re-heating our conversation with Kenji Lopez-Alt from last summer about veggie grilling tips. And we'll be back this fall with fresh episodes featuring Alice Waters, Kenji, and the latest trends in pizza.
On this episode of Special Sauce we're talking all things pasta with Chefsteps.com's editorial director Sasha Marx and Martha's Vineyard Pasta's Katie Leaird, who makes the best fresh bucatini I have ever tasted.
The Spice Whisperer LIOR LEV SERCARZ https://www.laboiteny.com/pages/about-lior?srsltid=AfmBOorS7hZnaGGUYpmtPAN8FPtknNZur10W1Uqv3hBB9D_v0d4HDFRz is back on Special Sauce this week to school serious eaters on how to spice up our food in our own kitchens. You can find all our episodes at THESPECIALSAUCEPODCAST.COM https://www.thespecialsaucepodcast.com/.
This week on Special Sauce the NYT's Kim Severson gives us the lowdown on Kamala Harris' passion for cooking. Plus we discuss the history of presidential cooking in the White House.
This week we're re-sharing our episode with Justin Pichetrungsi, chef-owner of the award-winning Anajak Thai in Sherman Oaks, California. There was a technical glitch the first time we published it, so here's another chance to listen to it. Enjoy!
This week on Special Sauce we talk to the Spice Whisperer, chef and owner of the online spice store La Boite NY, Lior Lev Sercarz. Lior is on a mission to inform people about where spices come from, how they grow, what they look like in their natural environment, and ultimately, how to be inspired by them in the kitchen.
This week on Special Sauce you'll meet 13 time world pizza champion Tony Gemignani, who is determined to spread his good pizza gospel to every corner of the U.S.
This week on Special Sauce violin virtuoso Jame Ehnes dishes on his live cooking and musical collaboration with Kenji that's coming up in Seattle on July 19th.
This episode of Special Sauce is particularly special. You'll hear the remarkable life story of celebrated Mexican chef Lalo Garcia as told by Lalo himself and his biographer Laura Tillman.
Ever wonder what's happening with the United Farm Workers union? I did, so I interviewed the UFW Communications Director Antonio De Loera-Brust. It turns that there's a lot happening, actually.
On this episode we go deep into the life of a Greenmarket farmer, Kevin Kaplicki of Woodthrush Farm. Kevin's lettuce is the stuff that dreams are made of.
Grilling season is here and Kenji offers up some great grilling tips so that even the most casual backyard cook can up their game. Who knew that mayo can be your secret grilling weapon.
