[Thoughts on the Table – 74] Commercial Vs. Domestic Kitchens and Italian Food Knowledge, with Simon Pagotto

Restaurateur and Italian food ambassador Simon Pagotto is back for another great chat!

In the first part of the episode, Simon talks about commercial kitchens and how they differ with respect to domestic kitchens. For instance, he discusses timing, the benefits of professional equipment, dealing with large quantities, and achieving a consistent product.

In the second part, Simon goes through a list of 12 questions he's been asking other Italian food ambassadors to test their knowledge. You can read the question below, join our chat to hear my answers! Do you agree? 🙂

Questions for Italian food ambassadors

1. What dairy is in a pasta Carbonara?
2. Is chicken acceptable in a pasta and if not, why not?
3. Is there a right way to eat spaghetti? Is the use of a spoon acceptable?
4. Why do they call Parmigiano Reggiano the king of cheeses?
5. What's your favourite pizza excluding a Margherita?
6. Name another rice dish that doesn't have the words risotto, arancini or suppli in the name.
7. Does the word Ragu belong to just one plate or place?
8. Do you know of a seafood dish that is served with cheese, if so what is it?
9. Do you consider an area of Italy food more pure than any others?
10. Do have a favourite region for food and what makes that region so special to you?
11. Do you know some of the other regions of food as well as your favourite region?
12. (Optional) Have you ever had a slightly warmed (so the fat just goes clear salami sandwich on bread with an egg fried in the fat? Or a googy egg (just boiled eggs mashed with olive oil, s & p and fresh chopped parsley) bruschetta for breakfast? No need to answer that one, just try it sometime. LOL.

If you missed it, check out Simon's first episode here.

During the show, we mention several dishes including Canederli, Amatriciana, and Carbonara.