Sunday Paper Recommends—Week of December 7, 2025
This week at The Sunday Paper, we're sharing a new film, book, podcast and recipe 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 Watching
A holiday season without cooking, cleaning, and coordinating all the family members? Claire Clauster, played by Michelle Pfeiffer, embarks on a Christmas adventure to rediscover herself outside the roles of mother and wife in the film Oh. What. Fun.
What We’re Reading
One in five adults in the United States suffers from chronic pain because of the “doom loop.” New York Times bestselling author Daniel Amen, MD, offers a new approach to breaking free with less medication and surgery in Change Your Brain, Change Your Pain.
Known for her ethereal Angel Series paintings, Anne Neilson brings the readers Christmas Angels this year. A book that invites you, as the holiday season approaches, to embrace feelings of peace, hope, love, and joy.
What We’re Listening To
Journalist Rachel Maddow premiered her new podcast Rachel Maddow Presents: Burn Order this month. In it, she goes back to World War II and dives deep into the shocking executive order that sent Japanese Americans to concentration camps.
Sunday Paper Recipe
Braised Chicken in White Wine with Bacon-Radish Gremolata
Coq au vin translates literally to “rooster (cockerel) in wine.” It was traditionally made with red wine so the tannins could break down the tough old meat. These days we are much more likely to use a well- plumped, tender chicken from the grocery store and thus, tannins are no longer necessary. The lighter wine also makes this recipe more appealing in the warmer months.
Serves 4
Mise en place
- 2 plates, one lined with paper towels
- Dutch oven
- Slotted spoon
- Microplane
- Shallow serving bowels
8 ounces bacon slices, cut into
1-inch lengths (If you think you are going to snack on the bacon, make extra!)
4 chicken leg quarters, or 4 each chicken legs and thighs (about 21/2 pounds)
Fine sea salt
1 white onion, chopped
8 ounces parsnips, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large leek, white and pale green parts only, rinsed well and cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 cups dry white wine
1 teaspoon ground coriander 1/4 teaspoon fish sauce
3 cups Chicken Broth (page 46), or use canned chicken broth, as needed
4 dried bay leaves
2 clementines, peeled and separated into segments
FOR THE GREMOLATA
Cooked bacon (from above)
1 whole preserved lemon, skin minced, flesh reserved for its juice
2 garlic cloves, grated
4 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
About 8 raw radishes, finely diced, or burnished radishes (see
page 231)
Freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Put the bacon in the cold Dutch oven and place over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crisp and browned, about 8 minutes. (You want to render as much bacon fat as possible— starting in a cold pan works best.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel–lined plate, leaving the fat in the pan.
- Season the chicken with salt. In batches, without crowding, add the chicken to the Dutch oven, skin side down, and cook until the underside is browned, about 5 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook the other side for about 3 minutes. Move the chicken to the other plate.
- Pour all but 2 tablespoons fat out of the pan, and scoop out as many brown bits as you can. Too many will discolor the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the onion and cook, without stirring, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsnips and leek and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and increase the heat to medium-high. Bring to a boil and let the wine reduce for about 3 minutes. Stir in the coriander and fish sauce.
- Return the chicken to the pot, skin side up, nestled closely together. This placement will help keep the chicken moist. Pour in enough of the broth to barely cover the chicken. Add the bay leaves. Bring the broth to a simmer and cover the Dutch oven.
- Bake for 45 minutes. Uncover the pot and cook to lightly brown the exposed chicken and reduce the broth, about 15 minutes. During the last 10 minutes, add the clementines.
- MAKE THE GREMOLATA: Gently mix the reserved bacon, preserved lemon skin, garlic, and cilantro in a small bowl. Add the radishes and gently mix again. Season with a little salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Squeeze in the juice from the reserved preserved lemon flesh (press the flesh in a sieve over the relish).
- Divide the chicken among serving bowls. Top each serving with some of the gremolata and serve hot.
Excerpted from Mostly French reprinted with permission from S&S/Simon Element. Copyright 2025.
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