I still remember a Shrimp Fra Diavolo I had in Connecticut a few decades ago. We wer staying in Brideport before going to Woodstock II, and one night we went out to dinner. I had no idea where we were. It was my first time in Connecticut, and I didn’t catch the name of the restaurant. It was the best plate of Italian food I’d in my life up to that time. It was perfect. And if that’s wrong, I don’t wanna be right.
When I worked in a (very good, artisan) bakery long ago, we subscribed to Bakery World or some such trade magazine. Most of the ads that weren’t for equipment were for air–fluffeners, softeners, elasticizers, and most of all, fillers. The focus of the bakery industry in the US appeared to be produce bread with the least possible amount of bread in it.
I had never seen that and thought it funny. Thanks. Is that a real phrase?
Eh, it’s a riff on a classic format: If my __________ had ______________ she’d/he’d be a _____________.
ETA: I’ve heard way more variations on this phrase than just the wheels/bike one.
Here’s a longer (3:30) cut.
Well, it wasn’t chicken with pasta, which is a big non-no according to the OP’s story. As long as you didn’t have any grated cheese on it, I think you’d get a pass from the Italian Cuisine Police 
That was not my experience. In almost every restaurant, I was very underwhelmed.
On the other hand, I had gelato as a mid-afternoon snack every day (each day a different flavor), and they all were amazing.
In my trips to Italy I have had a few excellent restaurant meals, lots of pleasant ones and a surprising number of mediocrities. And I mostly avoided places filled with tourists or obvious non-Italians or too close to a renowned site. I have also had many home-cooked Italian meals, nearly all excellent.
there’s already a post about chips here
That post linked to it.
Drifting back to my OP, another rule I just remembered is that the basil in pesto must be shredded or minced by hand and not in a food processor
Well yes, but only if someone is looking.
Usually with a mortar and pestle, but yeah. I’ve never tried since I’m not a huge pesto fan, but it makes sense there wound be some difference between being pounded (as in a mortar) and being shredded (as with a food processor.) There certainly is a textural difference, at least, with Thai curry pastes in one method vs the other, though I usually am too lazy to use the mortar and pestle.
sorry, I meant to say with mortar and pestle. The only time I did it that way I chopped it finely first with a knife before crushing it in the M&P…
My understanding is that the blades in a food processor can generate heat in the pesto, partially cooking it. That’s why doing it manually would be preferred.
I would think pounding it would also cause some heat. Maybe the food processor generates much more, but I would have thought the main difference is pounding vs repeatedly slicing. Like in the Thai curry paste, stuff like lime leaves and lemongrass don’t shred very well in the food processor and end up more as sandy bits in the final product rather than properly pulverized as with pounding. Basil’s more delicate than that, so maybe it’s not as much a difference, but I would think the main issue is textural. This site gives all those reasons and a couple more:
Unfortunately, I don’t have any basil in the garden this year, or at least not yet (I know, I know, it’s getting a bit late for that), but I’d be curious to try the exact same pesto, side-by-side, made with both methods. It’s one thing to read about purported differences, and another to see and taste for yourself. I’d bet for pesto-forward applications, the difference would be noticeable. It certainly is for curry paste but, once again, the convenience of a food processor wins out for me 90% of the time.
as it happens, my wife asked to have pesto tonight. If I remember, I will try a bit both ways and report back.
I was recently in Italy and, while you can find some common dishes almost anywhere in the country, certain regions still have a distinctive style for their food (and often distinctive wines). Eating in Italy is one of the best parts of going to Italy (IMO).
FWIW: The YouTube channel below is a husband/wife team and she is Italian. When she cooks she has some very firm opinions on what you should or should not do when cooking Italian food.
Yep, they’re good, and Eva is fair. I mentioned them upthread. Italy is absolutely not a “food monolith,” but they are extremely regional, and there are “rules” to each region. I don’t find that sad at all. I find that preserves the quirks and idiosyncracties of each region and makes for a more interesting food trip overall than every region degenerating into a lowest common denominator type of cuisine.