I have strong beliefs about food. I believe sausage goes only in gravy and the gravy goes only over biscuits. I believe tomatoes should be avoided, because they feel squishy in your mouth. I believe olives are fine for decoration, but should never be eaten. And I believe that pasta of any kind is just way too complicated – to prepare or to eat.

Yet when I visited La Minestra last Saturday, I ordered a dish described this way on the menu: “Italian sausage (secret family recipe) sauteed with sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives and roasted red peppers in red sauce over rigatoni.”