Kelly Rowland

Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware

The season 19 premiere of Table Manners features R&B icon Kelly Rowland sharing a meal of peach and chicken salad and raspberry poke cake. T

Key takeaways

• Kelly Rowland discusses her childhood favorite dish: fried chicken with mashed potatoes and English peas.
• The guest shares her steak-cooking technique involving salting meat overnight and searing in a buttered pan.

Main topics

• Southern comfort food
• Vocal health and training

Notable quotes

It's all about the rest.

Conclusion

A warm, celebratory interview that connects celebrity stardom to unive

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:03) Hello and welcome to Table Manners Season 19, Mum. That doesn't mean we've been going for 19 years. No, but it does mean we've been going for 10 years, I think, really. I Speaker 1 (0:13) feel like we've been going for 119 years today. Speaker 2 (0:16) Okay, well, this leads us to... Lenny is having her hip-hop. Hip-hop. Hip-hop. I'm not doing hip-hop dancing. I'm having a hip-hop. And they do serve wine in the Rehabilitation Centre. So you'll be okay. That was the Speaker 1 (0:31) lone reason for choosing it. Your eyes Speaker 2 (0:33) are Speaker 1 (0:33) sparkly today, Lenny. I don't know. It was a mistake. I Speaker 2 (0:36) like it. It looks fab. It was a bit of a mistake, darling. It looks fab. Speaker 1 (0:39) Okay, fine. Speaker 2 (0:40) You may be watching us on the Apple Video Podcast section. So hi, nice to meet you. Yeah, welcome Apple people. Nano, nano. You can click between the video and audio now. So if you want to see the food, you can come and have a little look. Or if you don't fancy seeing what we're eating, you can just listen. Also, because, you know, we're all visual now, we now have to encourage you to subscribe and like our videos because it really helps. We used to do this back in season one, didn't we, Mum? But now we've been told you put it at the beginning of the thing. So if you are enjoying Table Manners, you can like and Speaker 1 (1:15) subscribe. Subscribe on both Apple and YouTube. And Spotify, I guess. And Spotify. Speaker 2 (1:21) We are so excited for our season opener. We have the phenomenal Kelly Rowland, who... You will know from the most iconic girl group, Destiny's Child, or her illustrious solo career with bangers such as Dilemma, When Love Takes Over. Motivation, as my husband, when I put it on this morning, knew all the words. Forgot that he was an R &B boy. Speaker 1 (1:45) No matter what you do. That's Dilemma. Oh, is that Dilemma? Speaker 2 (1:50) Also, she's just been announced as The Voice UK's new judge. And Speaker 1 (1:55) the new face of Speaker 2 (1:57) Olay. She is gorgeous. Speaker 1 (2:00) Your grandma would have been so thrilled to meet any ambassador of Olay. Oh my God, she used to lather it on, didn't she? Oily Olay. Oily Olay. Speaker 2 (2:09) Kelly Rowland is coming on and she's coming on at kind of an odd time for food. So you've done something quite light, haven't you? Yeah, Speaker 1 (2:19) I've just made a salad. A peach and chicken salad. Which I Speaker 2 (2:23) think I did Speaker 1 (2:23) for Rob Delaney. It's an Nigel Speaker 2 (2:24) Slater Guardian recipe. Yeah. Really good. Yeah. Speaker 1 (2:28) And Speaker 2 (2:28) the peaches are still good or nectarines are still good. The peaches Speaker 1 (2:30) are great. They were just right today. And then Speaker 2 (2:34) you've done some, what's Speaker 1 (2:35) it called? Speaker 2 (2:35) Oh, I've done a Speaker 1 (2:35) raspberry poke cake. What's that mean? I poked holes in the cake that I made. Oh, Speaker 2 (2:41) to get like syrup. To get the Speaker 1 (2:42) raspberry in. Yeah. Yum. Let's hope it works. Well, it Speaker 2 (2:46) looks beautiful. I Speaker 1 (2:46) hope so. How was your summer, Mum? Well, it was fab, really. I was away for nearly seven weeks. Yeah, don't we have Speaker 2 (2:53) that little inn? In Speaker 1 (2:53) Greece, yeah. And I loved it. It was beautiful. All our favourite people there. And a lovely, the man who worked in Platanos Square. Asked you out on a date? No, he asked me to sit and have a drink of either coffee, wine or water. Yeah. And I said, oh, I'm a bit busy. I couldn't imagine what. I was going to do by sitting, talking to me. You thought that he Speaker 2 (3:20) just wanted you to buy Giros? Speaker 1 (3:21) Yeah. Right. And he suddenly said, I just love your podcast, which was so strange. Great. He's like, you know, he's not the youngest man in the world. I've been seeing him in Platanos Square for about 30 years. He loves the podcast. Yasu. Yasu. We Speaker 2 (3:39) are so thrilled to be back. We are excited about the year ahead, wherever it takes us. We are potentially planning something exciting next year. Speaker 1 (3:47) And Speaker 2 (3:48) we are thrilled to have Kelly Rowland as an opener. I mean, she's a huge star. International. Is she very tall? She looks tall. I think she looks tall. Yeah. And she's got, like, never-ending legs. Speaker 1 (4:03) Yeah, that's what I think. But maybe Beyonce's just a little... Just a short one. A little short one. Yeah. I don't know. Speaker 2 (4:10) I'm not sure. Who knows? What do we think? Speaker 1 (4:11) She's 5'8". Oh, she's Speaker 2 (4:12) not Speaker 1 (4:13) that Speaker 2 (4:13) tall. That's tall. Speaker 1 (4:14) That isn't that tall, darling. Cindy Speaker 2 (4:16) Crawford's 5'9". Oh, is she? Yeah, that's tall. Speaker 1 (4:20) I Speaker 2 (4:20) think 5'8 is a glorious height. Kelly Rowland coming up on Table Manners. Kelly Rowland. Yes. As I live and breathe. You... are radiant. Thank you very much. It must be that Speaker 1 (4:39) oil-ay serum. It must be. Speaker 2 (4:42) I'm Speaker 1 (4:42) wanting Speaker 2 (4:43) it. Why Speaker 1 (4:43) do I call it oil-ay? Speaker 2 (4:44) It used to be oil of Olay. It used to be oil of Olay. It did. Yeah. That's what my grandma used to slather Speaker 3 (4:51) on. Speaker 2 (4:52) Yes, yes. And the smell I can remember. And the smell was heaven. I do too. Is Speaker 3 (4:55) it Speaker 2 (4:55) the same smell? It's changed a bit. It's definitely Speaker 3 (4:58) evolved since me looking at it on my great aunt's counter. You know what I mean? That's where I first got my first, I say, taste of oil of Olay. So you're right. It used Speaker 1 (5:10) to be Oil of Yule. Yes. It was with a U. Was it? So in the States, Speaker 3 (5:15) it was Oil of Olay. And here it was Oil of Yule. And then they Speaker 1 (5:18) changed it. My mom never got to grips with the O instead of the U. Wow. So she always used to say Oil of Yule. And Speaker 3 (5:26) that's why you just said it. That's so interesting. How are you? Speaker 1 (5:31) I'm wonderful. You flew in this morning. I did. You poor thing. Speaker 3 (5:35) I'm fine, Speaker 2 (5:36) y Speaker 3 (5:36) 'all. Speaker 2 (5:36) Because there were all these flight cancellations. It was mad. Oh, no, that's exactly what happened. And it Speaker 3 (5:41) was like last minute, but it did give me some time, some extra time with my babies. So that was cool. Where did you Speaker 2 (5:46) fly from? Where do you live? Los Speaker 3 (5:47) Angeles. Speaker 2 (5:48) Okay. Speaker 3 (5:48) Yeah. How old are the babies Speaker 2 (5:50) now? Speaker 3 (5:50) 11 and 5. I can't Speaker 2 (5:52) even believe I have an 11-year-old Speaker 3 (5:55) child. It's so wild because he's like almost my height. And his voice is starting to drop. And I'm looking at his little face mature and change right before my eyes. And it just lets me know how precious time is. I hear. Oh, my heart is beating a little bit harder just thinking about time because I don't take it for granted, especially being a mother and watching or being able to have the opportunity to watch them grow is a blessing. Speaker 2 (6:27) But at least you're the five-year-old. You've still got like, you know, in the way of like, you can still baby, I baby my five-year-old so much. I Speaker 1 (6:34) do too. Speaker 2 (6:34) I'm like, the 10-year-old, I'm like, get out of my bed, the five-year-old. I'm like, you can stay, you can stay. It's so unfair. I'm Speaker 3 (6:40) just Speaker 2 (6:40) saying Speaker 1 (6:40) he's a big boy toddler. I mean, he thinks he's a Speaker 2 (6:42) big guy, but Speaker 1 (6:43) like. Yeah, so Speaker 3 (6:44) does mine. Yeah. He thinks he's a big boy. And you know what? I'll give him that. I just want him to be my baby. And Speaker 2 (6:51) he just started kindergarten. Speaker 3 (6:52) And when he started, he was like, bye, mom, and left and went into the rest of the. Well, Speaker 2 (6:57) that's good. Speaker 3 (6:57) Yeah. Oh, no, it was great. It was great. But I was like, literally cried on the campus. As soon as the teacher closed the door, I was like, I had these big glasses on. Thank God I had these glasses on. But I cried like a baby, like a baby. How Speaker 2 (7:12) long are you away from them this trip? Speaker 3 (7:14) Seven days. Speaker 2 (7:15) Okay. It's Speaker 3 (7:16) not bad. Speaker 2 (7:17) It's not bad, but yayi. So Speaker 1 (7:19) who's looking after your husband? My nanny and my husband. God bless a great nanny. Man, I'm so Speaker 2 (7:27) blessed. Yes, absolutely. So the podcast, we ask you lots of things about food Speaker 1 (7:33) and food memories. Speaker 2 (7:34) I mean, there's so much. I'm so excited to have you because I'm excited to be Speaker 1 (7:40) here. Speaker 2 (7:40) Honestly, when I've told my friends that we've got you Speaker 1 (7:42) on, they're Speaker 2 (7:43) like, Speaker 1 (7:43) no, this is huge. Speaker 2 (7:47) Destiny's Child was such a huge part of my education in R &B and just like vocals. And then you're incredible. You're incredible. But let's talk about you. You were born in Atlanta. Speaker 3 (8:02) Born in Atlanta, raised in Texas. Okay. And Speaker 2 (8:06) is that where in Houston? So where do you have a kind of a tie to both of them? And it's like culinary. What's their like? Food tie to both. Speaker 3 (8:15) I mean, the food tie to both is, you know, of course, very Southern, Southern roots. I'd say comfort, comfort foods from the mac and cheeses to the... Fried chickens to the rice and peas to the mashed potatoes, all those things, yeah. So Speaker 2 (8:37) who was around the dinner table? What was a memorable dish from your childhood that maybe your parents were cooking? A Speaker 3 (8:43) memorable dish? Oh, my mom could really just make the most beautiful fried chicken with mashed potatoes and English peas, actually. Speaker 2 (8:53) Oh, little petit pois? Yes. It was Speaker 3 (8:56) my favorite. She'd probably drench them in butter and a bit of salt. And it was so good. But every time I saw it on the table, I was excited. So Speaker 1 (9:07) when you do your fried chicken, do you dip it in something first? No. So it's just fried without flour or breadcrumbs? No, it's with Speaker 2 (9:18) flour. Speaker 1 (9:18) Okay, you put flour. Egg and flour? Yeah, Speaker 3 (9:22) egg and flour. And she seasoned it to perfection. She let it like, you know, sit in all its greatness. And then she would drench it in the egg and flour and fry it. And it was ready when it whirled to the top. Speaker 2 (9:34) Are you good at that? Speaker 3 (9:35) No. I'm not good at fried chicken at all. I'm good at fish. Okay. I will bake a chicken. Speaker 2 (9:45) Yeah. Speaker 3 (9:45) And steak. I do a steak pretty good. Okay, tell me how you do your steak. So my steak, I will salt it and let it sit overnight. Overnight? Overnight. What cut are you having? We like a filet in our house, like a nice little filet mignon. Because we get it from the butcher. And what else? Like a little strip as well. What, Speaker 1 (10:09) like a Speaker 3 (10:10) sirloin Speaker 2 (10:10) strip? Yeah. Okay, got it. Yeah, yeah. Speaker 3 (10:12) And so we take that. And then I will butter the pan a bit, put it in there on a like high-ish heat, let it do a nice little sear. I don't know how to sear it. Cook it and flip it over. But I like mine pink. Me too. I like it pink. So Speaker 2 (10:32) how many minutes are you doing on either side, Kelly Rowland? Speaker 3 (10:35) It depends. Like I think it's like three to five. Yeah, Speaker 2 (10:39) three. Okay. And how Speaker 3 (10:41) long do you let it rest for? Speaker 2 (10:42) Oh, five. Okay. Yeah. Speaker 3 (10:45) For sure. It's all about the Speaker 2 (10:46) rest, isn't it? Speaker 3 (10:46) It's all about the rest. Do Speaker 2 (10:48) you cover it when you're resting it? No, should I cover it? I don't know. Speaker 3 (10:52) No. Speaker 2 (10:52) I don't know. Speaker 3 (10:53) No, I don't cover it when it rests. I just like watch it, but I do love to baste it. Speaker 2 (10:58) Like Speaker 3 (10:59) when you put the garlic and all the yumminess in there. Speaker 1 (11:03) And what do you have it with fries or mashed potato? Salad or spinach. Speaker 2 (11:08) You're healthy, Kelly. Speaker 3 (11:10) Well, Speaker 2 (11:10) for my Speaker 3 (11:11) boys, I do mashed potatoes Speaker 2 (11:12) for sure. My kids did, we had mashed potato last night. Only one of my children ate it. My children are so weird about mashed potato. Really? It drives me mad. What do they do? I'm Speaker 1 (11:22) there having Speaker 2 (11:22) it Speaker 1 (11:22) out of this, they're just fuss pot. I've Speaker 2 (11:26) never heard of a fuss pot, but I like Speaker 1 (11:27) it. Speaker 2 (11:28) Like, absolutely. I'm like, I've got gravy. I've got a sausage there. You did gravy? Yeah, delicious. Yeah. Thanks. Oh, I think. Different gravy to you, though. No, but Speaker 3 (11:37) still, it's gravy. That's time. Speaker 2 (11:40) That's a midweek meal. Speaker 3 (11:41) You are a gangster. Do you know what I Speaker 2 (11:42) mean? No, Speaker 3 (11:43) I Speaker 2 (11:43) love you. But anyway, Speaker 3 (11:44) I Speaker 2 (11:44) didn't bloody eat it anyways. So, okay, state. So if we were coming around to yours, would it be state that you would be cooking us? It would probably be salmon. Okay, how do you do your salmon? I just Speaker 3 (11:54) learned salmon, so I'm still actually, no, I wouldn't do it because I'm still learning salmon. No, come on, you're fine. Speaker 2 (12:00) I'm trying Speaker 3 (12:00) to impress you. Speaker 2 (12:01) So, yeah, I'd probably do salmon. I do mashed Speaker 3 (12:04) potatoes, but I'd probably do a whipped sweet potato, too. Speaker 1 (12:09) Oh, yeah, I like whipped Speaker 3 (12:10) sweet potato. Yeah, I do whipped sweet potato. Do Speaker 1 (12:12) you put marshmallows on? Speaker 3 (12:13) Only at Thanksgiving. Only at Thanksgiving. That Speaker 1 (12:16) is correct. Yeah. Do you think people still do dinner parties anymore? Speaker 3 (12:22) Yes, we do dinner parties all the Speaker 1 (12:23) time. Speaker 3 (12:23) You Speaker 1 (12:23) do? Speaker 3 (12:24) I go to dinner parties all the time. And I love a good playlist. So if you're sitting down. Speaker 2 (12:30) Okay, hit us because that's one of our questions. What's playing in the background? I mean, Speaker 3 (12:33) what's playing? There's Marvin Gaye playing. There's Donny Hathaway. There's Stevie Wonder. Old school. Yes. There's Earth, Wind & Fire. There's jazz. There's Miles Davis. There's hip hop. There's everything. Like we have a playlist called Where the Blessed Rest. And it's like one that I just made for our house. Like whenever we're just chilling on a nice day, it's quiet, but we got music. I want to swap Speaker 2 (12:59) you. If you want to give me your playlist, I've got a family kitchen playlist. Speaker 1 (13:03) Yes. That is like, I like cooking on a Sunday and it's like. gentle Speaker 2 (13:07) beautiful smoky robinsons on there like so if you fancy doing a playlist swap yes i'd be really happy definitely you know Speaker 1 (13:13) stevie wonders coming to london to do songs in