Good Food

Laura Avery learns about Japanese turnips and other legumes de saison, and author Dorie Greenspan gives us a nibble for the cookie-obsessed. Editor Jane Lear hangs up the Christmas pickle, and we dive into The Gefilte Manifesto. Trine Hahnemann serves up Scandinavian comfort food for the soul. Plus, Celia Sack’s annual holiday cookbook gift guide and Jonathan Gold’s top 10 dishes for 2016.

Laura Avery gets schooled on macadamias and walnuts, then The Red Rooster takes root in Harlem, and Chef Marcus Samuelsson shares his fried yardbird royale recipe. Writer Darien Cavanaugh and filmmaker Rodrigo García wax poetic about Fidel Castro's food obsession. Plus, Jonathan Gold reviews P.Y.T. in LA, and we hop over to Tokyo for a convenience store food crawl.

The dynamic duo of Nancy Silverton and Mario Batali take us back to the moment they met, tell us what inspired each of their new cookbooks and reveal their plans to bring Eataly to LA. Jennifer Grayson, author of Unlatched, weighs in on the breastfeeding-versus-formula debate, and Jonathan Gold revisits the iconic Dan Tana's in West Hollywood. Plus, a pitch for purchasing guavas at the market.

Thanksgiving has come and gone. Jonathan Gold tells us what he whips up from his leftovers and where to find the best Hong Kong-style breakfast in LA. The Rev. Shawn Amos shares the inspiration behind his Kitchen Table Blues series, and chef Eric Ripert discuss his new memoir. Donna Battle Pierce sheds light on her hero, Freda DeKnight, and Emeril takes over the KCRW turntables.

In honor of America's biggest food holiday, we offer you a bonus Thanksgiving episode of our show. First we hop into a canoe with The Kitchen Sisters to learn an Ojibwa tribe's traditional method of harvesting wild rice by hand. Then Sean Sherman discusses his efforts to bring back Native American cuisine, and Chef BJ Dennis gives us a primer on Gullah-Geechee cuisine. We close out the show on the Sherry Trail.

Ahead of Thanksgiving, we've got tips and recipes from the founders of Food52, Dorie Greenspan and Mark Bittman that will turn your feast into a success. Los Angeles Magazine's Patric Kuh talks truffles, and chef Isa Fabro tells us what dishes are served at a Pinoy Thanksgiving. Plus, fresh dates at your local farmers' market, and Jonathan Gold treats us to Tempura Endo in Beverly Hills.

Tough times call for comfort food. Musician Kelis shares favorite brunch dishes and her grandma's pernil recipe, and journalist Simran Sethi gives tips for what to look for when buying chocolate. Then Jonathan Gold takes us to Kettle Black in Silver Lake for homemade pasta, and Abbie Fentress Swanson has the scoop on new food emoji in the works. Plus, happy salads and black radishes with schmaltz.

In honor of the election, we're all about pot and Proposition 64, a measure that would legalize recreational marijuana and hemp use in California. "Weediquette" Host Krishna Andavolou briefs us on the broad strokes of the measure, and Jeff "The 420 Chef" explains how to cook and bake with the herb. Food writer Gillian Ferguson visits a "flower" tasting, and Craig McNamara gives a farmer's perspective on Prop. 64.

Nakul, Arjun and Pawan Mahendro talk chicken tikka poutine, their podcast and the Diwali menu at Badmaash. Dave Green and Joe Cobden share the story behind their 12-second video restaurant reviews on Instagram, and Antonio Diaz discusses the Life & Thyme/KCET documentary The Migrant Kitchen. Plus, The Monster’s Cookbook, persimmons at the market, and Jonathan Gold's new 101 list.

First, Charles Dedlow, of Roan Mills, talks bread-making using heritage grains. Then Tatler Editor John Haney takes us through how the British sandwich came to be and No. 7 Chef Tyler Kord shares a spirited patty melt recipe from his new cookbook. Plus: a pastrami sandwich crawl in Boyle Heights with certified pastrami doctor Lara Rabinovitch and Jonathan Gold eats at the Everson Royce Bar.

KCRW reporter David Weinberg has the story of how a home french fry business in Gardena went viral. The Atlantic's Emily DeRuy discusses the obstacles faced by Native American restaurateurs and WAMU radio producer Ruth Tam talks ethnic food shaming. Plus, Fiona Ross rattles off favorite dishes of leaders of yesteryear, Jonathan Gold eats Gus's Fried Chicken and Laura Avery shops for sunchokes at the market.

We devote this week's show to the most important meal of the day: breakfast. April McGreger of Farmer's Daughter gives us a historical account of biscuits and chef Josef Centeno serves up his spin on Japanese breakfast at Orsa & Winston. Then, big bad breakfast chef John Currence talks up cornmeal and Carolyn Phillips gives tips on ordering dim sum. Plus, we're all about eggs at the farmers' market.

We hash out the technicalities of pie with The Sporkful's Dan Pashman and visit the best hard-shell taco spots in town with LA Weekly food writer Garrett Snyder. Sociology professor Deborah Harris gives us the latest stats on gender inequality in kitchens, and Domenica Marchetti schools us on making boozy cherries and preserving garlic scapes. Plus: Jonathan Gold digs the semolina buckwheat pancake at Winsome in Echo Park, and market manager Laura Avery learns the many uses for the lovely purple flowered hyssop plant.

In honor of KCRW's annual pie contest October 2, here's the second installment of our podcast devoted to pie. It's called the PieCast . We dedicate this episode to the ingredients in a pre-made pie crust, to tips on how to make your vegan pies extra-tasty, and to the complex flavors you'll find in a Cuban pie.

Jonathan Gold shares his favorite dishes at Shibumi, a new Japanese kappo-style restaurant in Downtown LA. Christine Moore, owner of Little Flower Baking, Lincoln and C’est La Vie, tells the story of how she got into the restaurant business. Her new cookbook is Little Flower Baking. Jessica Koslow, owner of Sqirl, unveils plans to expand and her new cookbook, Everything I Want to Eat. Plus, tips for how to grow organic lettuce from farmer Shu Takikawa.