Joe Yonan

Mexico City chef Eduardo “Lalo” Garcia’s secret is to cook these beans very simply, for a very long time, until they’re super-soft, then to add his seasoning—a sofrito of onion, garlic, tomatoes, and dried chiles—and boil them for another half hour, simultaneously infusing them with flavor and concentrating their cooking liquid. These are some of the simplest and yet most complex beans I’ve ever tasted, let alone cooked. A straightforward pico de gallo adds a little freshness and crunch. Serve with tortillas.

The counterculture movement of the 1960s and 1970s protested the corporate food industry with food-centric forms of civil disobedience that resulted in the popularization of many foods we still eat today: granola, tofu, soymilk, and maybe even the toast you had this morning. Contributor Joe Yonan talked with Jonathan Kauffman, author of Hippie Food, specifically about America’s reintroduction to brown bread.

Kate Winslow, author of Onions Etcetera, shares her love of all things allium with The Splendid Table contributor Joe Yonan.

Ice cream aficionada Dana Cree is the author of Hello, My Name is Ice Cream. She shares the keys to making wonderful ice cream using other sweet treats as ingredients.

Food Network host and curious food writer discovers America with a fork in his book Fed, White, and Blue.

These wraps take advantage of young, green jackfruit's pulled-meat texture while including much-needed protein in the form of black beans.

New York Times cocktail writer Robert Simonson's book, A Proper Drink, looks at the origins of the ongoing cocktail renaissance and the bartenders who rescued classic drinks from obscurity. He tells The Splendid Table's Joe Yonan about the lost ingredients (and supermodels) that inspired them, and why the cosmopolitan is so controversial.

Culinary historian Michael Twitty is on a journey to discover himself, through the food of his ancestors. Joe Yonan talks to him about history, identity, and what exactly goes into a kosher soul roll.

Smokers are closely associated with meat. But there is a world of meatless uses for them as well, from potatoes and eggs to water and even ice cream. Project Smoke author Steven Raichlen tells Joe Yonan all about them.

"Their flavors can be intense, but the beauty of them is really how they integrate into dishes, how they accentuate and highlight other flavors," says Barton Seaver, author of Superfood Seagreens.