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October 18, 2019

A scene from the film "Mortal Engines."Universal Pictures and MRC

By Jamelle Bouie

Opinion Columnist

I'm afraid I don't have any deep thoughts for you this afternoon. Instead, let me share a little about what I've been reading and watching this week.

I have a stack of books to read, and at the moment I'm trying to finish a little volume titled "The Political Foundations of Judicial Supremacy: The Presidency, The Supreme Court, and Constitutional Leadership in U.S. History." It's actually surprisingly readable for being a dense academic tome, and a very useful book for trying to understand the nature of judicial power in America. I'm not sure I'd say I recommend it as just a thing to read, but if you're interested in the topic, it's worth your time.

I mentioned this on Twitter, but I work best when there is noise in the background and when I'm at home, that means I work with a movie on, usually something that isn't too complicated or interesting or even particularly good. The last movie I "watched" this way was "Mortal Engines," a big effects-driven blockbuster that flopped at the box office last winter. There's a lot about this film that doesn't work — for starters, characters are inert or just exist for plot purposes, and the narrative is weak and derivative of strong franchises like "Star Wars" and "Mad Max."

That said, I have a huge soft spot for ambitious movies with ridiculous premises, and this film — set in a post-apocalyptic world of cyborgs, airships and mechanized, mobile cities — is exactly that. It's worth watching if you like science fiction and fantasy but wish studios would step away from superheroes and variations on "Lord of the Rings."

Now Reading

Lillian Cicerchia on the abortion rights movement in Dissent magazine.

Linda Greenhouse on a new biography of Justice Sandra Day O'Connor in The New York Review of Books.

Gabriel Winant on the left-wing politics and the "professional managerial class" in n+1 magazine.

Rebecca Traister on Ronan Farrow's book "Catch and Kill" in New York magazine.

Nils Gilman on the rise of far-right environmentalism at Berggruen.org.

Feedback

If you're enjoying what you're reading, please consider recommending it to friends. They can sign up here. If you want to share your thoughts on an item in this week's newsletter or on the newsletter in general, please email me at jamelle-newsletter@nytimes.com.

Photo of the Week

On James Madison's Montpelier estate in Orange County, Va.Jamelle Bouie

James Madison's Montpelier is surrounded by a few miles of walking trails, and last month we took a hike around the property, shooting photos as we went. This picture is from that excursion, and it captures a landscape you'll see throughout central Virginia — a grassy field, a blue sky with big clouds and a barn. I took it with a 4x5-view camera, using Kodak black-and-white film and an orange filter to darken the sky.

Now Eating: Alison Roman's Creamy Cauliflower Pasta With Pecorino Bread Crumbs

Honestly the only comment I have on this recipe — which comes from The New York Times Cooking section — is that it's incredibly delicious and a perfect dish for crisp fall weather. If you're a wine drinker, I think this goes great with a nice Viognier.

Ingredients

kosher salt and black pepper
8 ounces rigatoni, ziti or campanelle
6 tablespoons olive oil
¾ cup fresh coarse or panko bread crumbs
½ cup finely grated pecorino cheese, plus more for serving
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1 medium head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), outer leaves and stem removed, sliced about ½-inch thick
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, plus more for serving
½ cup finely chopped chives
Red-pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

Bring a large pasta pot filled with salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente; drain and reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water.

Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add bread crumbs and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until they're evenly toasted and golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add ¼ cup pecorino and toss to coat, letting the cheese melt and clump among the bread crumbs (think granola-like clusters). Remove from heat and transfer to a small bowl or plate; set aside.

Wipe out the skillet and heat remaining 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add shallot and cauliflower and season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the cauliflower has completely softened and both the cauliflower and shallots are beginning to caramelize and brown, 12 to 15 minutes.

Add heavy cream and 1 tablespoon lemon zest and bring to a simmer, then let the cream reduce and thicken, 2 to 4 minutes. Season with salt and plenty of pepper; if pasta is still cooking, remove sauce from heat and set aside until pasta is ready.

Return the skillet to medium heat and add the pasta to the cauliflower, along with the remaining ¼ cup pecorino and ¾ cup of the pasta water. Cook, tossing to coat the pasta and thicken the sauce until it's thick and glossy, and almost resembles macaroni and cheese, adding more pasta water by the tablespoon as needed, 4 to 6 minutes.

Remove from heat. Divide pasta among bowls and top with pecorino bread crumbs, chives, more lemon zest, red-pepper flakes (if using) and more cheese if you like.

IN THE TIMES

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