Paolo Rigiroli, Author at Quatro Fromaggio and Other Disgraces on the Menu

[Thoughts on the Table – 87] Introducing Eva from Electric Blue Food

Eva (Electric Blue Food) is a photographer and blogger based in Sweden who is passionate about food, traveling, and language.

In the episode, we talk about Eva’s upbringing and the places she’s lived. We then focus on Scandinavia and what it’s like in winter for a photographer who works with natural light. We discuss blogging as a diary, but also as storytelling. And about the value of food-blogs over recipe books. To conclude, Eva shares her most special recipe, chicken livers with onion, as taught to her by her grandmother.

You can learn more about Eva by visiting her website Electric Blue Food. You can also follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Bloglovin’, and Twitter.

[Thoughts on the Table – 86] Christmas Traditions from Growing up in Sicily, Canada, and Milan

A classic Christmas special, featuring two very special guests: my wife Candace and our dear friend Miriam. Join us to hear us compare our different childhood traditions between a farm in Saskatchewan (Canada), an apartment in Palermo (Sicily), and one near Milan.

During the episode, we talk about how Nativity scenes can take on a local flavor, Miriam’s riveting performance in her childhood Christmas play, stockings, the presents-opening ceremony (between candlelight and spotlight!), and of course and at length about the food of the holidays!

The music in the episode is by www.purple-planet.com.

[Thoughts on the Table – 85] Introducing Local Aromas’ Advent Calendar and More

Valeria and Benedetta are back on the show to talk about their 2020 Advent Calendar, a collection of 24 festive recipes, each expertly paired with a wine.

Join us to hear more about the 9 food ambassadors that contributed the recipes (including my friend Pina Bresciani) and to hear us dig into some of them, such as Tortellini, Minestra Maritata (Italian Wedding Soup), Insalata Russa (Russian Salad), and Salmon Mousse.

You can hear more about Valeria and Benedetta on Episode 79 and follow them on the Local Aromas YouTube channel as well as on Instagram and Facebook.

[Thoughts on the Table – 84] Introducing Christine from Italian Dish Podcast

My guest today is Christine from Italian Dish Podcast, a fantastic audio project featuring one recipe per episode from Christine’s point of view of an American in Florence. With that as a premise, Christine’s charming storytelling, fueled by her love for food and her fascination with cooking, brings each dish to life via an uncut chronicle of the cooking process, with digressions on the ingredients and the traditions that surround the dish.

During our chat, Christine and I compare our experiences fitting in into the culture of our adoptive homes and how we found it important to try to master the language, but also the local cuisine. Christine also reflects on how talking-while-cooking helps her be her real self and connect with her audience. Finally, we digress on the difficult task of cooking Italian food for native Italians, with the high bars set by their nonnas and with the brutal honesty they are known for!

You can listen to Christine’s Italian Dish Podcast on italiandishpodcast.com as well as stream or download it on any podcast client, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. You can connect with Christine on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

[Thoughts on the Table – 83] Introducing Cooking with Mamma Marzia Cookbook

Marzia Bellotti Molatore from Bella Cibo introduces her first cookbook titled Cooking with Mamma Marzia – Authentic Italian Recipes for the Whole Family.

In the episode, Marzia describes how much this cookbook means to her and the importance of creating family traditions in the kitchen. In the second part, Marzia talks about a few of the recipes featured in the book: Casatiello Napoletano (savory stuffed bread), polenta Taragna (buckwheat polenta with cheese), pizzoccheri, pesce all’acqua pazza (“crazy water” poached fish), vitello tonnato (veal with tuna sauce), and crostoli (fried sweets)!

You can order Cooking with Mamma Marzia on www.mammamarzia.ca. You can hear Marzia’s touching story from her own voice on episode 71. For daily updates, Marzia is also on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

[Thoughts on the Table – 82] Dissecting Ragù alla Bolognese with Tina Prestia

In this episode, Bologna-based, food instructor and blogger Tina Prestia talks about Ragù alla Bolognese, arguably the most famous and misunderstood Italian sauce.

Join us to hear Tina Prestia break down Ragù alla Bolognese after she analyzed 50+ recipes and directly tested several of them. What ingredients are non-negotiables? What ingredients can be optional? What are most definitely a no-no?

The episode is largely based on Tina’s great post: Ragù Bolognese – An Analysis, with recipes, tips & resources, and it refers to a few cities and regions of Italy. See the map below for a visual reference!

ragu` regions — Based on blank map by TUBS (Wikimedia Commons). License: CC BY-SA

You can follow Tina on her blog and also on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. You can hear Tina’s interview on episode 76.

The music in the episode is by www.purple-planet.com.

[Thoughts on the Table – 81] Questions Italians in North America Can’t Help But Wonder About

In this episode, Thoughts on the Table goes back to its quintessential nature: investigate the difference in food and food culture between Italy and North America.

My new partner in this journey is the multi-talented Sim Salis (radio host, writer, voice actor, video and podcast producer.)

Join the conversation to hear us dissect some of the most pressing questions Italians living in North America ask themselves, including why does fresh milk last three weeks? What is the difference between ice cream and gelato? How do Italians feel about the stereotypes associated with them? Why does Japanese food taste so good?

You can follow Sim on the web @ sim.show and through his podcast.

[Thoughts on the Table – 80] Dining Out and Traveling During a Pandemic

This is a timely yet overdue episode on the reality of living in a pandemic. Join me and my returning guest Raffaella De Amicis as we look at how our lives have changed over the last six months, and how we may be able to adjust our strategy during partial lockdown in order to support small businesses and reduce the risk of exposure, while always respecting local regulations.

Original music by Dan Hughes.

Raffaella is a travel, food, and lifestyle photographer and a travel planner. You can follow her @byforkorbylens on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Also, check out Raffaella’s great photography primer in episode 33!

As a side note, I’d like to thank FeedSpot for listing Thoughts on the Table in the Top Ten Italian Food Podcasts. It’s an honor to be in such good company!

Romano Pepper Soup

Among all vegetables, peppers arguably have the most unique flavor! Romano peppers are sweeter and caramelize wonderfully when roasted, which makes them a great addition to a tomato-based soup, balancing its acidity and gaining depth in return.

If this isn’t enough, like most Italian soups this recipe makes use of the classic celery/carrot/onion soffritto both as a thickener and for its flavor. Again, roasting is key to cause browning and the development of the many aromatic compounds that go with it.

The predictable addition of chili powder adds yet another layer of complexity and, of course, the nerve endings stimulus that we perceive as heat (please check out my very first podcast titled Salty and Spicy to hear more about the chemistry involved.)

Oh, this recipe happens to be vegan 🙂 Enjoy!

Romano Pepper Soup

Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Romano Pepper Soup

Ingredients

1/4 onion, chopped
2 celery sticks, sliced
1 carrot, cubed
2 red 'Romano' peppers, sliced
200 g 'passata' strained tomatoes
20 g tomato paste
2 cups vegetable stock
olive oil
salt
chili powder
black pepper, ground

Preparation

Roast the peppers in olive oil, with some salt, in a frying pan at medium heat until tender - 15 minutes (add a splash of water from time to time if the peppers start to burn).
Meanwhile, roast the other veggies in olive oil for 10 minutes at high heat in a medium pot.
Add the roasted peppers, the strained tomatoes, the tomato paste, and the veggie stock to the pot with the vegetables. Bring to a boil.
Lower the heat and cook for 1/2 hr stirring from time to time.
Strain the soup using a strainer or a food mill with a fine mesh.
Re-add the strained soup to the pot and resume cooking for another 1/2 hr stirring occasionally.
Add chili powder to taste and adjust the salt.
Serve with a sprinkle of freshly ground black pepper.

https://www.disgracesonthemenu.com/2020/10/romano-pepper-soup.html