Thoughts on the Table Archives - Page 5 of 8 - Quatro Fromaggio and Other Disgraces on the Menu

[Thoughts on the Table – 59] Introducing Australian Restaurateur Simon Pagotto

Join me to meet restaurant owner, and Italian food ambassador, Simon Pagotto. During the episode, Simon talks about his Italian roots, his deeply Australian upbringing, and how his discovery of traditional Italian food led him to embrace authenticity in his trattoria, even against the general expectations of his patrons.

In our exchange, we touch on several hot topics including:

The three fundamental pasta sauces of Rome (Gricia, Amatriciana and Carbonara) and how they should be properly executed.
The overrated role of fresh pasta and the surprising presence of dried pasta in the diet the of Italians.
The omnipresence of balsamic vinegar outside of Italy versus the appreciation of plain wine vinegar in Italy.
The difference between serving pasta in large amounts of sauce and lightly coating it, in a balance of flavor and texture.

In the episode, Simon also mentions Marcella Hazan’s fundamental cookbooks on traditional Italian cooking.

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

[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 – 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 – 50] Balance in Food – 50th Episode Special with Jason

Jason and I used to be co-workers and in our lunch breaks we often talked about food, trying to explain the logic behind it, and comparing North American, Italian, and Japanese cultures. Being an avid podcast listener, and missing the days when I was an amateur radio host in Italy, I pitched to Jason the crazy idea of making a podcast from our chats. Of course he accepted without hesitation! As a result, Thoughts on the Table was born just over three years ago.

Even though Jason is no longer a co-host, the podcast continues to thrive, thanks to its notable guests and loyal listeners – including Jason himself, of course. In fact, I’m very happy to be publishing episode number fifty (that’s five-zero!) today.

In this special episode, Jason is back on the show with one of his topics. With our usual investigative approach, Jason and I theorize on why North Americans seem to focus on high ranking foods (the so-called “proteins”), relegating the rest of the dish to mere accompaniments, whereas the Italians – and the Japanese – value dishes in which the various components are paired harmoniously, and they have meals in which the dishes follow one another in a balanced progression.

As always, please join us in our discussion and let us know what you think by commenting on the episode. Thanks to everyone for your support and feedback!

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

[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.