episode Archives - Page 6 of 12 - Quatro Fromaggio and Other Disgraces on the Menu

[Thoughts on the Table – 58] A Morning in San Giovanni in Galdo, with Nick Zingale

Join me and Nick Zingale for another of his fascinating stories as he continues to recount his visit to Molise, his maternal ancestors’ homeland.

As depicted in Nick’s original blog post, during his day-trip to San Giovanni in Galdo he goes through a series of encounters that make him closer to his roots and that he will remember forever.

In the episode, Nick mentions the characteristic regional pasta called cavatelli (please check it out on Manu’s Menu!) This pasta shape also happens to be most commonly found in Cleveland’s Little Italy, as further evidence of the strong influx of Molisan immigrants in the area.

As always, the music in the episode is by www.purple-planet.com.

[Thoughts on the Table – 57] Nick Zingale and his Emotional Trip to Molise

Nick Zingale is back on the podcast to share another chapter of his past Italian trip which led him to discover his southern Italian roots.

In this episode, Nick takes us through an emotional journey to Molise, the small Italian region where his maternal ancestors lived. Particularly, he talks about the paese of Matrice and its strong connections to his hometown Cleveland, where many of Matrice’s citizens emigrated over the years.

Matrice, Italy — The town of Matrice in the region Molise. Image courtesy of Wikipedia.

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

[Thoughts on the Table – 56] Italians of the World – Introducing Linda from Signorina Spaghetti

Thoughts on the Table is back with a new guest: Linda from Signorina Spaghetti. I discovered Linda’s blog only quite recently, but I immediately offered her the Cannolo Award for contributing to preserving the true flavors of Italy in the world! In the episode, Linda talks about what brought her to Brussels, Belgium and about her motivations for starting a blog, which she describes through hilarious examples and colorful stories. She also talks about her inspiration as a cook, her most important recipes and what’s behind them, and her plans for future projects and collaborations. Whether you already know Linda or not, join me to hear more about her and about how much Italians in the world have in common!

You can follow Linda also on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Youtube, and Twitter @signaspaghetti.

[Thoughts on the Table – 55] Discovering Cinque Terre, Lake Orta, and Como with Nick Zingale

As promised, Nick Zingale is back with his great storytelling and distinctive charm to talk about his journey throughout the Italian peninsula, which took place about a year ago. With the ultimate goal of reaching his ancestors’ towns in southern Italy, Nick explored several destinations along the way, and some out of the way. In this episode, he shares entertaining tales from short trips to the beautiful Cinque Terre, Lake Orta, and Como.

As a visual reference, the Cinque Terre National Park includes the municipalities of Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso al Mare, as well as portions of the territories of Levanto and La Spezia, to which the frazione of Biassa belongs.

About Lake Orta (Lago d’Orta, in Italian), Nick mentions the little island of San Giulio as well as the town of Orta San Giulio and its Sacro Monte.

About Como, Nick talks about the funicular, the Star Wars filming location: Villa del Balbianello, and describes his unexpected performance at a local Karaoke bar 🙂 (this post’s featured image!)

Did you know these locations? Do you have any stories you’d like to share?

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

[Thoughts on the Table – 54] True or False? 15 Stereotypes on Italy, with Nick Zingale

Is it true that Italians drink espresso all the time? Live with their parents until they’re 30 years old? And that they all know how to dress up? In this entertaining episode, Nick and I will try to debunk these and many more stereotypes on Italy and on the Italians. But will we succeed?

As usual, your feedback is appreciated! Please share your thoughts in comments or by contacting me.

This episode uses sounds from freesound: Ringing bell by domrodrig, and Buzzer by Timbre.

[Thoughts on the Table – 53] The Boom of Italian Food in the US, with Food Writer Mark Preston

Mark Preston is a food writer, a blogger, and the author of California Mission Cookery, a cookbook on the early cuisine of the Californio population, which he discovered while working as an archivist for the UCLA library.

Last October, he got in touch to tell me about his research on ragù, the Italian meat sauce; he wanted the opinion of an Italian on what he had found. This is how we started collaborating!

In this episode, Mark talks about his encounters with Italian cuisine while growing up in St. Louis, Missouri, and how this experience prompted him to travel to Europe, as he says, “just to go to Italy to eat!”

He also analyzes how the popularization of the Mediterranean diet may have caused a shift in preference from Thai to Italian in Los Angeles, where he now lives.

Finally, he reveals his thoughts on what, in the fifties, caused the Americans to go crazy for pizza! A trend which of course goes strong today.

To end the episode, Mark shares one of his best Italian-inspired recipes: Crayfish Simmered Shrimp and Pesto Penne with Cherub Tomatoes, and invites everyone to try making it!

You can follow Mark on his blog, as well as on Instagram.

[Thoughts on the Table – 52] Italian and American Culture with Nick Zingale

Nick Zingale is an American of Italian descent who lived and traveled in Italy and Europe for seven months last year. He joins me in this episode for a fascinating overview of his experience abroad, which he documented on his personal blog – from working as an English teaching assistant, to his discovery of his ancestors’ native towns in Sicily and Molise, to his solo travel around the Italian peninsula. Throughout the episode, Nick shares plenty of insights on Italy and the Italians from his special point of view of someone who grew up in an Italian-American family.

During the episode, Nick mentions a documentary on the massive immigration of Italians in the United States and on how difficult it was for them to amalgamate with the American culture. You can get more information on this production at http://www.pbs.org/show/italian-americans.

Nick’s travel blog can be found at http://www.nickzingale.com/nickztravels.

[Thoughts on the Table – 49] Introducing Food Blogger and Recipe Developer Giulia Robert from Alterkitchen

Thoughts on the Table is back with another Cannolo Award winner: Turin born and raised Giulia Robert from Alterkitchen. I’ve known Giulia for more than five years and it was very special to finally meet face to face, albeit via Skype. Giulia has been a constant presence on the web with her fabulous recipes ranging from classic Piedmontese dishes to modern creations. She is also an active member and editor of MTChallenge, a virtual competition between bloggers, and of the Italian Association of Food Bloggers, best known for its food calendar. Join us in our chat to learn more about Giulia’s background and to hear her describe some of her most successful creations, a series of iconic dishes with a Piedmontese twist! For pictures and recipes, please check out the links below.

You can follow Giulia also on Facebook, Twitter @alterkitchen, Instagram, Pinterest, and Flickr.

[Thoughts on the Table – 48] Introducing Ale Gambini and her Cookbook: A Queen in the Kitchen

This episode’s guest is Cannolo Award winner Ale Gambini, food blogger, recipe developer, and web series host. Ale just published her first cookbook titled A Queen in the Kitchen, which she dedicates to her grandma Fernanda and to the cuisine of her Milan and of northern Italy (which is where I’m from as well). Join us in our chat to hear us compare our notes and memories, and to learn more about northern Italian dishes which are largely unknown around the world.

You can follow Ale Gambini on her blog A Queen in the Kitchen, as well as on Twitter ‎@alegambinidt.

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