ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:
Funny coincidence - Stephen Colbert and Ina Garten both have new books out. He wrote a cookbook with his wife, Evie, called "Does This Taste Funny?" She wrote a memoir called "Be Ready When The Luck Happens."
The odd thing is, Stephen Colbert and Ina Garten each mention each other in their books - they're friends. So when I recently interviewed Colbert, I asked if he had a question for his fellow author.
STEPHEN COLBERT: Ina, this is Stephen Colbert. Hi. How's Jeffrey?
INA GARTEN: (Laughter).
COLBERT: That's not the question. I just wanted to know how Jeffrey is. I'm a huge Jeffrey fan. I'm a Jeff-head.
SHAPIRO: Of course, Jeffrey is Ina Garten's husband of more than 50 years. But Colbert actually did have a real question. And as a postscript to our full-length interview that aired yesterday, here it is.
COLBERT: Sometimes - and we talked about this the last time we were together - sometimes you leave the tails on shrimp when you serve them, even with a sauce.
SHAPIRO: (Laughter).
COLBERT: And you know how I feel about this. I forgot what your reason was. And I'm just curious, in the least hostile possible way, why you would do that.
SHAPIRO: (Laughter) Before we get to the Jeffrey question, let's tackle the shrimp.
GARTEN: (Laughter) I love that question. I love him. He's just the best.
SHAPIRO: (Laughter) He has strong feelings about tail-on shrimp in sauce.
GARTEN: And do you know this - when the book "Cooking for Jeffrey" came out - do you know this story?
SHAPIRO: No.
GARTEN: When the book "Cooking For Jeffrey" came out - and that's how we actually met each other - he was tweeting, when are you going to write a book called "Cooking For Stephen"?
SHAPIRO: (Laughter)
GARTEN: So (laughter) my publicist and dear friend, Kate Tyler, took a book of "Cooking For Jeffrey" and replaced Stephen with Jeffrey in every place, including the photographs. So I was sitting in a car with Stephen Colbert.
SHAPIRO: Whoa, like photoshopped Stephen's head on Jeffrey's head (laughter)?
GARTEN: Exactly (laughter). Exactly. So adorable.
SHAPIRO: That is so sweet.
GARTEN: (Laughter)
SHAPIRO: And yet, the shrimp - the shrimp divide.
GARTEN: OK.
SHAPIRO: The shrimp divide.
GARTEN: So this is how I feel about the shrimp. If you're going to pick up the shrimp by the tail and eat it and then throw the tail away, that's fine. But if you're using shrimp in a dish where you're going to eat it with a knife and fork, it definitely shouldn't have tails on it.
SHAPIRO: OK, so you and he are on the same page about this.
GARTEN: I...
SHAPIRO: If shrimp is in a pasta with a sauce, no tails.
GARTEN: Exactly. It should have no tails. And now I'm going to have to go look back through my books and see, at what point did I make that decision? If there are any recipes that have shrimp with tails on them, they shouldn't be.
SHAPIRO: (Laughter) I also want to follow up on his first question - how's Jeffrey? - because Jeffrey is the supporting actor in this drama. You have been married for more than 50 years. He is such a key part of this story. How's Jeffrey?
GARTEN: Jeffrey's good. Jeffrey's like the Rock of Gibraltar. He's smart and funny and accomplished and totally believes in me. And I feel that everybody needs somebody who really believes in them to be successful. And Jeffrey took somebody who was really very insecure and helped me find my voice.
SHAPIRO: Ina Garten's new memoir is "Be Ready When The Luck Happens," and Stephen Colbert's cookbook with his wife, Evie, is "Does This Taste Funny?"
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