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This week it's a different look at the seemingly simple and innocent banana. It's played a role in building regimes, toppling governments, partnering with the CIA and even gave Elvis his legendary grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich. Our guest is Dan Koeppel, author of Banana: The Fate of the Fruit that Changed the World.

The Sterns have found five-star Mexican food at Rosita's in the small Great Plains town of Scottsbluff, Nebraska.

Sally Schneider is back talking savory ideas for lemons. Try her recipe for Risotto with Dry Sherry and Lemon from her book, The Improvisational Cook.

Reporter Guy Hand tells of the morphing of the tater tot. From the ridiculous to the sublime, it's the story of what happened to those crispy little nuggets that started out as cattle feed in the Pacific Northwest and ended up in trendy bars all across America.

Lynne and Christopher Kimball of Cook's Illustrated fame play another round of Stump the Cook with Chris from St. Louis.

Professor Jessica Harris, the first scholar-in-residence to hold the chair endowed by Ray Charles at Dillard University, talks about the musician's great generosity, how he loved to eat, and his support of African-American culture.

Recipes

Risotto with Dry Sherry and Lemon

Sally Schneider brings us a risotto recipe with some delightful sharp notes provided by lemon zest and a dry sherry. Get the full recipe

Events

March 8, 2009. Minneapolis, MN Join Lynne and Slow Food Minnesota members and friends for an afternoon of lively conversation followed by dinner based on Lynne's recipes. The event is a benefit for Slow Food's Terra Madre delegate fund. More Information

March 14, 2009, Scottsdale, AZ
Lynne will be at two events, a book Signing in Partnership with Changing Hands Bookstore and Carl Matthusen Retirement Party Hosted by Barbara and Tom Payne. More Information

Features

Rosita's, Scottsbluff, NE.

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Who would expect to find some of the best Mexican food anywhere in a small town on the Great Plains? The Sterns say they've never seen anything like Rosita's food in all of their travels across the Southwest.

Everything is made from scratch when you order so expect a bit of a wait to get your meal. There's corn rolled in cheese, enchiladas, fabulous guacamole and hand-chopped pico de gallo. Michael raves about the incredible tortilla chips. Made fresh to order, golden wedges of corn tortillas emerge from the fryer puffy and airy (somewhat like a sopaipilla) with a crispy/chewy texture, and arrive piping hot at your table. Panchos, the house specialty, is similar to nachos - chips topped with frijoles, melted cheese, guacamole and jalapeno. But it's those amazing chips that take the dish into a category of its own, far above ordinary bar food nachos.

Rosita's Mexican Restaurant
1205 East Overland
Scottsbluff, NE
308-632-2429

Music

• "Son Huini" by Los Hermanos Rios, from Putumayo Presents: Mexico. Putumayo.
• "Lemon" by U2, from Zooropa. Island Records (USA).
• "Mexico City" by Balkan Beat Box, from Nu Med. JDub Records.
• "Potbelly Dub" by Chimera, from Catch Me-New Mixes. Wind-Up Records.
• "Banana Peel" by Kid606, from Resilience. Tigerbeat6.
• "Call Me" by Astrud Gilberto, from The Very Best of Astrud Gilberto. Universal, Polygram.