Former Pennsylvania senator Arlen Specter was quite a character. Hard-edged and sometimes difficult, Specter was at the center of the Senate’s legal battles for years as a ranking member of the Judiciary Committee – particularly Supreme Court nominations. He also had a large independent streak, which led him to announce that he was switching parties and becoming a Democrat in 2009. The move cost him his Senate seat. He died on Sunday at the age of 82 of complications of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He was on the Leonard Lopate Show in 2008 and he told Leonard about his earlier battle with Hodgkin’s disease and his long career in the Senate.

Stanley Tucci was on the Lopate Show recently to talk about his life-long love of cooking. He also told us about his love of fishing. Find out what else Stanley Tucci is a fan of!

This cake is best made one day before you plan to serve it. The cake is very moist and tender, so be careful when removing it from the pan. If you like, it may be served with the sauce described in the recipe for Ricotta Cheese with Fresh Fruit  (page 349), using either raspberries or strawberries for the sauce.

2 cups ricotta cheese
1 ½ tablespoons butter, softened
5 large eggs
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ¼ cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon dark rum (such as Myers’s) (optional)
2 cups heavy cream
½ teaspoon grated lemon or orange zest

1.    If the ricotta cheese is very wet, place it in a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth. Place the sieve over a bowl, refrigerate, and drain the ricotta for 2 hours.
2.    Preheat the oven to 325 ºF. Completely line an 8-inch springform pan with two overlapping layers of aluminum foil. Grease the foil with the softened butter and dust lightly with flour, set aside.
3.    Place the eggs in a large bowl. With an electric mixer set on high speed, beat the eggs just to combing, about 10 seconds. Add the ricotta, flour, sugar, vanilla, and rum, if using, and beat just to combine. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the cream. Stir in the zest.
4.    Pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan, and bake until the edges of the cake are firm and the top is golden brown, about 1 hour. (If the top begins to brown too quickly, cover the pan with aluminum foil and continue to bake.) Remove the pan from the oven, set it on a wire rack, and allow to cool for 3 to 4 hours. Remove the outer ring of the pan and cut away the foil. Cover and refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours before serving.

SERVES 8

From The Tucci Cookbook, by Stanley Tucci

When we began work on this book project it was before my grandmother had passed away at the age of eighty-seven, and we were very excited about preserving so many of her recipes. One day my mother went to visit my grandmother in the hospital. She told her that we didn’t have her recipe for stuffed artichokes and we wanted to include it in the book. Without hesitation my grandmother began to tell her how she prepared them. The nurse who was attending her said, “Only an Italian could come out of surgery and start discussing food.” But the telling of a recipe is very different from the actual process of making a dish with its creator. So this recipe, which is named for my grandmother, is based on memories of her stuffed artichokes.

4 medium-size or 2 extra-large artichokes, stems and top ¼ inch sliced off and discarded, sharp outer leaf points snipped off and discarded
2 teaspoons chopped fresh Italian, flat leafed parsley
5 teaspoons finely grated pecorino Romano cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup coarsely grated day-old bread or 1 cup plain dried bread crumbs, or a combination of both
4 tablespoons olive oil

1.    Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2.    Snugly fit the artichokes in a small saucepan and add water to a depth ¼ inch below the tops of the artichokes. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer until an outside leaf pulls away easily, about 20 minutes. Do not overcook or the artichokes will fall apart. Remove from the water, turn upside down to drain, and set aside to cool.
3.    In a small bowl, mix the parsley, Romano cheese, garlic, and bread. Sprinkle teaspoons of the filling between the leaves, working from the outer leaves toward the center of the artichoke, spreading the inner leaves slightly if necessary. Place the artichokes in a glass baking pan. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over each artichoke (2 tablespoons if using extra-large ones). Fill the pan with water to a depth of 1 inch. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, add more water to the pan if necessary, and continue baking until the artichokes are tender and lightly browned, about 15 minutes more. Serve hot or at room temperature.

SERVES 4

WINE PAIRING: Light white and medium white

VARIATIONS: When serving steamed or boiled artichokes that have not been stuffed, I like to whisk 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice and ¼ cup melted butter to dip the tender leaves into before eating. One steamed artichoke may be served as part of an antipasto with drinks before dinner. Separate the leaves and arrange them on a platter. Serve along with a small dish of Basic Vinaigrette.

From The Tucci Cookbook, by Stanley Tucci.

Toasted Corn Flour Cookies

I was walking through the crowded marketplace at Juchitán, the capital of the Isthmus, when I nearly stumbled over María Ruíz sitting daintily on the ground with two small children in the shade of an arch, next to a basket lined with a snowy embroidered cloth.  I was already attuned enough to the region to think that this pretty young woman did not look quite like the flamboyant juchitecas around her, and sure enough I learned that she was from the town of Tehuantepec some twenty miles distant, where they specialize in making totopos dulces, sweet crackers of fine corn flour and dried coconut.  I could not replicate María's totopos, which require a tandoorlike sunken clay oven, but she gave me her recipe for these little cousins that can be made like cookies in a regular oven.

To grate the sugar, use the fine side of a standard straight-sided grater.  The recipe requires a starchy type of corn.

One 1- 1 1/2-inch piece canela
4 cups dried dent or flour corn kernels 
1/2 cup grated Mexican brown loaf sugar (panela or piloncillo; see page 000), packed before measuring, or 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Grind the canela in an electric coffee or spice grinder.  Set aside.

Spread the corn on a large baking sheet and bake until the kernels are bright yellow, about 40 minutes.  Remove and let cool completely while keeping the oven set to 375°F.

The corn must now be ground to a fine powdery flour.  I prefer to do this in an electric coffee or spice grinder, about 3/4 cup at a time. (You can also grind the kernels in several batches in a food processor, but the flour will not be as finely or evenly ground. 4 cups whole kernels should yield about 2 1/2 cups flour.)   Mix well with the ground canela.  

In a large bowl, cream the butter well and beat in the sugar; continue to beat until light and fluffy.  Gradually add the toasted corn flour mixture, beating well after each addition.  It will form a somewhat stiff dough.

Roll out the dough on a lightly floured board to about 1/2-inch thickness.  With a cookie cutter, cut into 1-inch rounds.  Reroll leftover scraps of dough for cutting until all is used.  Place on a greased baking sheet and bake for 10 - 12 minutes.

Yield: About 3 dozen 1-inch cookies

3 cups corn
2 cups stock
Mayonaise
Crema Mexicana
Powdered chile
1 lime (cut in half)
1 cup crumbled cotija cheese

Directions: Mix the corn, stock, mayo and cream; sprinkle with the cheese, powdered chili and a squeeze of lime juice.

Serves 6

2 cups whole wheat macaroni

2 ½ cups coarsely grated carrots (about 8 small)

3 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

¾ cup sour cream

¼ cup whole milk

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¾ teaspoon mustard powder

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F and grease an 8-inch-square baking pan. Arrange a rack in the top third of the oven.

2. Cook the macaroni according to the package instructions in a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the carrots 3 minutes before the pasta is finished cooking; drain well.

3. While the pasta is hot, stir in all but ½ cup of the Cheddar and the butter. In a bowl, whisk together the sour cream, milk, eggs, salt, mustard powder, and pepper. Fold the mixture into the pasta.

4. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining Cheddar and the Parmesan over the top. Bake until the casserole is firm to the touch and golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Makes 4 Servings

1 cup hazelnuts

1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

8 large celery stalks with leaves, thinly sliced

2 ounces good parmesan cheese, shaved

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Spread hazelnuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast, tossing once halfway through, until nuts are golden, 7 to 10 minutes. Pour the nuts into a clean dish towel and use the towel to rub off some of the skins (do not try to be thorough here, it takes too much time, just get rid of what flakes off easily). Cool and coarsely chop the nuts.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, salt, and pepper; whisk in the oil. Combine nuts, celery and leaves, and cheese in a large salad bowl. Add vinaigrette and toss gently to combine.

Time:15 minutes

10 ounces Brussels sprouts (1 container), trimmed

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Coarse sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, or more to taste

1 cup chopped toasted walnuts

3/4 cup grated Manchego or young pecorino cheese (or even aged Gruyere)

1. In a food processor using the thinnest slicing disk, slice the Brussels sprouts (they will fall apart into shreds). Or, using a knife, slicing the sprouts as thinly as possible. Put the sprouts in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Let rest for 5 minutes.

2. Add the olive oil and toss well. Add the walnuts and cheese and toss gently. Taste and adjust seasonings. You can serve this immediately, but it gets better after an hour or so. 

Serves 6

Pesto alla Trapanese

Pesto has become very familiar in American homes by now— that is, pesto made with fresh basil leaves, garlic, and pignoli nuts. Well, this one is different— it is an uncooked sauce freshly flavored with herbs, almonds, and tomatoes. It is a recipe I discovered in Sicily while researching for Lidia’s Italy, and I have received countless e-mails about this recipe, praising its simplicity and rich flavor. I am sure it will become one of your favorites.

serves 4 to 6

Writer Karl Ove Knausgaard was on the Lopate Show recently to discuss his book, "My Struggle." He also told us why he has no more secrets -- and about his love of chocolate ice cream

Filmmaker Volker Schlöndorff was on the Lopate Show recently to talk about a new director's cut of his film, "The Tin Drum," as well as a new documentary, featuring conversations with director Billy Wilder. He also told us what his favorite comfort food is. (We were not exactly surprised.)

Guesthost Elliott Forrest spoke with Damien Echols. One of the Memphis Three, Echols was convicted of murdering 3 girls in 1993 and served almost 20 years of his sentence for a crime he didn't commit. He told us what he's been reading, watching and eating since his release.

When Alex Prud'homme was here for the Lopate Show Book Club conversation about Julia Child's memoir My Life in France, he shared some memories of his great-aunt and talked about what she was like to work with.

Michael Chabon was on the Leonard Lopate Show to talk about his latest novel, Telegraph Avenue (Benedict Cumberbatch and Chabon's love of vinyl records also came up along the way). He also told us that people seem to think that he likes everything...Find out what Michael Chabon really likes.

Filmmaker and author Errol Morris was on the Leonard Lopate Show to discuss his 20-year investigation into the case against Jeffrey MacDonald, who was convicted of killing his wife and daughters in 1970. He also told us about his love surfing bull-dogs. Find out what else Errol Morris is a fan of!

Elgin James was on the Lopate Show to talk about his journey from being a gang member to making his first film, "Little Birds." He also told us about his love "Dawson's Creek." Find out what else Elgin's a fan of!

Mike Birbiglia was on the Lopate Show (along with "This American Life" host Ira Glass) to talk about writing, directing and starring in the new film, "Sleepwalk With Me." He also told us what he's been listening to and that he's a fan of "Friday Night Lights." Find out what else he's a fan of!

Denis O'Hare was on the Lopate Show, along with co-star Amy Adams, to discuss playing The Baker in the Shakespeare in the Park production of "Into the Woods." He also told us about watching his son grow up and his love of science fiction. Find out what else Denis O'Hare's been reading recently.