Sunday Paper Recommends—Week of February 2, 2025

By The Sunday Paper Team
February 01, 2025

This week at The Sunday Paper, we're sharing a new documentary, a book, and a podcast that we believe will add inspiration to your days. We hope these suggestions open your heart and mind and encourage you to come together for meaningful conversations.

What We're Reading

In honor of Black History Month, we’re reading Written in the Waters: A Memoir of History, Home, and Belonging by Tara Roberts—a deeply moving memoir that chronicles this National Geographic Explorer in Residence’s journey to uncover the history of the transatlantic slave trade and find belonging. Inspired by a photograph at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History, Tara embarks on a global adventure, diving with the group Diving With a Purpose to explore sunken slave ships. Through this exploration, she delves into her personal identity and family history, offering a narrative that intertwines historical discovery with self-reflection––a perfect read for fans of Cheryl Strayed’s Wild.

Shop on Bookshop & Support local book stores Shop on Amazon Shop from Publisher

What We're Listening To

Are you watching Season 2 of Severance on Apple+ which began on January 17? If so, you definitely should be listening to The Severance Podcast with Ben Stiller & Adam Scott, a companion series where the creators and cast delve into the making of the series. Hosted by director and executive producer Ben Stiller and lead actor Adam Scott, the podcast offers behind-the-scenes insights, episode breakdowns, and discussions with various guests involved in the production. It's an excellent resource for fans seeking a deeper understanding of the show's development and narrative intricacies of this off-the-wall and thought-provoking show.

What We're Watching

It’s Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary this year, and there are a slew of new shows and documentaries celebrating the sketch comedy show’s storied history. We’re loving Ladies & Gentleman… 50 Years of SNL Music, a new documentary directed by Questlove (of The Roots) and Oz Rodriguez (longtime director of shorts at SNL) that premiered on Peacock on January 27. Covering five decades of rock, pop, hip hop, country, punk, and more, this riveting documentary serves up the stories behind the controversies like Sinead O’Connor tearing up a picture of the pope to Ashlee Simpson’s lip syncing fiasco, along with several stellar performances you may never have seen. Streaming on Peacock now.

Sunday Dinner Recipe

Poseidon's Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie)

Serves 8 to 10 as a main course

Craig Claiborne introduced non-Greek New Yorkers to Greek spanakopita in 1961, when he ran a recipe for a spinach-feta strudel from Mr. and Mrs. Leon Lianides in the Appetizers section of his New York Times Cookbook. He called their Coach House Restaurant "one of the city's best 'American' restaurants." Nine years later, he talked about "an incredibly good spinach pie baked in layers of leafy thin phyllo pastry" for Greek Easter.

Although this is Lili Fable's classic recipe, which you can still watch people in the family making in their store, feel free to include Swiss chard, kale, or broccoli with the spinach, or leeks or shallots for the scallions, as I am sure the ancients did. This recipe is so good that you can vary it quite a bit and still end up with a winner for your family.

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 pounds (907 grams) fresh spinach, washed, drained, and chopped, or two 10-ounce (284-gram) boxes frozen spinach (substitute or mix with Swiss chard, kale, or beet greens if you like)|

¼ cup (½ stick/ 56 grams) unsalted butter, plus ¾ cup (1½ sticks/168 grams) melted unsalted butter

2 large onions, minced (about 3 cups)

1 large leek or a bunches scallions, finely chopped

1½ cups (8 ounces/226 grams) crumbled feta cheese

½ cup chopped fresh dill

¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

2 large eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk

Eight 9-by-14-inch phyllo sheets, at room temperature

In a large (10-inch) ovenproof skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat, then add the spinach. Cook until it's wilted, about 3 minutes. Remove it and drain it in a colander. Wipe the skillet clean, then add the ¼ cup of butter, and sauté the onions and leek or scallions until they're golden, about 1o minutes.
Put the cooked onion mixture into a large bowl, then add the feta, dill, parsley, eggs, and egg yolk, and mix well. Add the spinach, and mix to incorporate it.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and wipe the skillet clean. Brush the bottom and sides of the skillet with some of the ¾ cup of melted butter, then brush a little on your work surface.
Quickly brush some butter on a phyllo sheet, and lay it, buttered side up, on the skillet so that plenty hangs over the edge. (Keep the yet-to-be-buttered phyllo covered with a damp cloth as you work.) Press to get rid of any large air bubbles between the phyllo and the pan, then continue buttering, laying, and pressing as you add each phyllo sheet, rotating the pan so that the bottom is completely covered and the overhang goes all the way around the skillet.
Add the spinach mixture in an even layer to the skillet. One at a time, lift the overhanging phyllo sheets over the spinach mixture and toward the center, crinkling the dough as you go. You'll end up with a circle of uncovered spinach in the middle, surrounded by a ring of phyllo.
Cook over medium heat on the stovetop for about 5 minutes, to crisp the bottom crust. Transfer the pan to the middle rack of the oven, and bake until the phyllo is golden and the filling is warmed, 20 to 25 minutes.