spicy Archives - Quatro Fromaggio and Other Disgraces on the Menu

[Thoughts on the Table – 99] Taste and Flavor Flashbacks with Jason and Paolo

As Thoughts on the Table approaches 100 episodes, I chose to dedicate episode 99 to the series’ beginnings, dating back to August 2013. I was an avid podcast listener and, inspired by great productions like This American Life and Stuff You Should Know, I involved my friend and then-coworker, Jason, and branched off from my blog to try the more colloquial format of a podcast.

Today’s issue contains extracts from the first six episodes where Jason and I discuss taste and flavor, as well as cultural differences between Italy, North America, and Japan. Among other topics, we touched on why as an Italian I would never try to put salt on pasta, whether eating spicy food can damage our taste buds, the reason why desserts tend to end the meal, why many people learn to appreciate “spoiled” foods like Gorgonzola and Nattō, what exactly astringency is, and the path to appreciating subtle flavors. To wrap up the selection, I couldn’t help but include extracts from episode seven, a recording that took place right in the center of Milan on Jason’s impressions from visiting Italy for the first time.

After these seven episodes, Jason could no longer continue as a co-host. So I started looking for a new podcast partner by enlisting some of my dearest blogger friends as collaborators. This eventually gave me the idea to turn the podcast towards the format of the interview. I enjoyed it a lot. With practice, I learned to connect with my guests in a way that would capture their spontaneity in entertaining and informative chats, and I made many lasting connections as a result, for which I’m grateful. My guests included food bloggers, writers, cookbook authors, chefs, food professionals, food photographers, event organizers, cooking instructors, and fellow podcasters. Overall, in nearly nine years of activity, Thoughts on the Table saw a total of 65 collaborators for a combined playback time of 39 hours, 19 minutes, and 13 seconds.

[Thoughts on the Table – 8] Ask the Neuroscientist

‎Do we eat just for the energy content or also because we need specific nutrients? Can food influence our mood? What happens when something spicy comes in contact with our mouth? What causes the inflammation that turns our lips red? Join me in another special edition of Thoughts on the Table to get all the answers and more from my good friend Davide Anchisi, a neuroscientist at the Dep. of Medical and Biological Sciences of the University of Udine (Italy).

Also, don’t miss Davide blog: neurophy.wordpress.com (in Italian).

[Thoughts on the Table – 1] Salty and Spicy

Welcome to the first episode of Thoughts on the Table! It’s very exciting for me to switch format, and venture into making a podcast. As always, I will investigate why food and food culture are the way they are, and in particular why they are different between Italy and North America. This time, my friend Jason, Canadian born and raised, will join me.

Is the perception of salt absolute or subjective? Is there such a thing as a spicy taste? Does eating spicy food damage our taste buds? Join Paolo and Jason as they answer these questions and more in this episode on flavor titled “Salty and Spicy”. Thanks for listening!

Tortiglioni all’Arrabbiata

Sugo* all’Arrabbiata is a classic pasta sauce from central/southern Italy that can be prepared very quickly, while the pasta cooks. This sauce is traditionally quite spicy, and this is at the origin of its name (all’arrabbiata, in Italian means ‘angry-style’). If desired, a milder version can be made, but a certain amount of heat is necessary to counter the acidity of the lightly cooked tomato and enhance its flavor. (*Sugo is another name for ‘salsa’, sauce.)

Tortiglioni all’Arrabbiata

Yield: 2 servings

Total Time: 20 minutes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Tortiglioni all’Arrabbiata

Ingredients

500 g peeled diced tomatoes (fresh or from a quality can)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 chili pepper (whole or seeded if a milder sauce is desired), minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
some fresh flat-leaf parsley, minced
150 g dried short pasta (e.g.: tortiglioni, rigatoni, penne)
salt

Preparation

Mince chili pepper and garlic (fig. 1).
In a large non-stick pan, fry garlic and chili pepper in olive oil for 2 minutes (fig. 2).
Add the diced tomatoes (fig. 3), cook at medium heat for 15 minutes stirring occasionally.
Boil the pasta in plenty of salty water for the time indicated on the box.
Add the well drained pasta to the pan and toss for 1 minute at high heat (fig. 4).
Take off the heat, sprinkle with parsley, serve immediately.

https://www.disgracesonthemenu.com/2011/07/tortiglioni-allarrabbiata.html