episode Archives - Page 2 of 12 - Quatro Fromaggio and Other Disgraces on the Menu

[Thoughts on the Table – 91] Introducing Podcaster Wendy Holloway from Flavor of Italy

Cannolo Award winner Wendy Holloway shares her fascinating story on what brought her to Italy and how she started Flavor of Italy, a company offering bespoke travel and culinary experiences for over 25 years.

During the episode, we discuss becoming absorbed into a new culture by learning people’s language and their values. We also talk about the immense richness of the Italian food traditions and the importance of capturing them faithfully to make them more accessible to other cultures.

Finally, Wendy describes her current culinary projects and how podcasting has become such a central channel for her, with a new episode out every week and no intention to slow down!

You can follow Flavor of Italy also on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

[Thoughts on the Table – 90] Italian Words Gone Wrong – Mistakes on the Menu

This unusual episode is the audio version of the article Italian Words Gone Wrong – 6 Mistakes Native Italians Don’t Make.

Despite the broad title, the post focuses on the types of mistakes that are commonly found on the menus of Italian restaurants outside of Italy.

This spoken version of course adds the pronunciation of the Italian words used as examples. I hope this can be useful to some readers, rather than more confusing 🙂 Thanks for listening!

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

[Thoughts on the Table – 89] Introducing Kristie Prada from Mammaprada

This episode’s guest is Kristie Prada, the author of Mammaprada – a blog on Italian travel, parenting, and raising bilingual children.

Join us in our chat to hear Kristie’s unique perspective on how much love and respect Italians have for their food, how much they honor even their humblest meals, and cherish the time spent with their families at the table.

In the second part of the episode, Kristie talks about the many challenges (and rewards) of raising her children while exposing them to both British and Italian cultures and languages.

You can follow Kristie Prada also on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Addendum: Kristie just published an interview of Yours Truly! Please go check it out as I’m sure you’ll find her questions very interesting. Thanks Kristie for featuring me and my work here!

[Thoughts on the Table – 88] Chinotto – The Other Way of Drinking Dark

This episode is dedicated to the soft drink Chinotto and it’s unusual in that, for once, I am not in the company of a guest (although I’d like to think that I still have a guest: you, the listener!)

In this episode, I try to break down Chinotto – from my memory of sipping it for the first time, to its presence while I was growing up in Italy, to the origin of its name, its flavor, and especially of its bitterness!

BTW, I’d really like to know… What is your experience with Chinotto? Have you tasted it? Do you love it as I do? Do you think it might not be as bitter as you remember it?

[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.