Sicilian here, and while tomato sauce (or "red sauce," if you prefer) and its variations (like Bolognese sauce) has its place in quite a few pasta dishes, my preferences on spaghetti have always been just garlic and oil (aglio e oglio), or cheese and pepper (cacio e pepe), or my Nonna's legendary spaghetti with fried cauliflower. A plain Marinara sauce? No thanks. I'll save that for pizza (with a ton of oregano).
I also can't believe we got 20 responses deep into this thread and not a single response mentions pesto.
If you make a good pesto, and it's easy in a food processor or blender, (forget Nonna's grind it in a mortar and pestle hours long concoction!) and keep it in jars with a thin film of EVOO over the surface, it keeps for quite a while.
That's my go-to pasta sauce.
The ingredients are to die for..
Heaven forbid.
But, by all means, the tomatoes, even canned or jarred is a staple.
Sometimes just have it as soup ++ stuff, or just drink it.. obviously for those with herbs growing, add that your in like Flynn.
Don't feel bad.
The ingredients are to die for..
Pet peeve, the 'Carbonara' in that picture has no visual evidence of either Black Pepper, or Egg, hence it is a fraud!!!!
I also can't believe we got 20 responses deep into this thread and not a single response mentions pesto.
If you make a good pesto, and it's easy in a food processor or blender, (forget Nonna's grind it in a mortar and pestle hours long concoction!) and keep it in jars with a thin film of EVOO over the surface, it keeps for quite a while.
That's my go-to pasta sauce.
Section331 mentioned pest at 11:01 am.
Dear Wife found a recipe for Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic. Delish....
Pass the Vino - ( New Window )
I use copious amounts of of Zaatar - along with fresh rosemary, thyme and actual classic oregano - in my home made tomato sauce. I long ago learned to stop bothering with picking off the leaves, and just throw bouquets of the garden herbs in the sauce while it cooks. I then fish those herbs out after the sauce cools a bit and before I blend it with a stick blender.
I might add a couple of tablespoons of sugar to the sauce (a 3 quart batch typically) if it seems the canned tomatoes I used weren't ripe enough during blending, but never more than that. Lots of onions and fresh garlic too, and only top notch EVOO.
My kids love it, though sometimes they want pesto or our version of creamy cheese sauce.
Heaven forbid.
What a bunch of dummies on this board, Lou. How do they not know that bolognese is a variation of chili? And I was gonna mention pesto, but you beat me to it.
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Bolognese is NOT "a variation of tomato sauce!"
Heaven forbid.
What a bunch of dummies on this board, Lou. How do they not know that bolognese is a variation of chili? And I was gonna mention pesto, but you beat me to it.
Well done sir, my hat is off to you.
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Bolognese is NOT "a variation of tomato sauce!"
Heaven forbid.
What a bunch of dummies on this board, Lou. How do they not know that bolognese is a variation of chili? And I was gonna mention pesto, but you beat me to it.
Darn it! I always thought chili was kinda spicy Bolognese with beans... except I never grind beef for chili but prefer chunks cooked until they start to fall apart.
I knew one Italian chef who never pre-ground his beef for "Bolognese" either, but in fairness he called it "meat ragu", not bolognese.
ah, an admitted lycopersicumophobe
1/4 CUP -EXTRA--VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
7 GARLIC CLOVES, PEELED AND SLICED
28--OUNCE CAN WHOLE SAN MARZANO TOMATOES, CRUSHED BY HAND
PINCH CRUSHED -RED--PEPPER FLAKES
1 TEASPOON KOSHER SALT
1 FRESH BASIL SPRIG
Directions
In a large skillet, over medium heat, heat the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic. Once the garlic is sizzling, add the tomatoes, slosh out the can with 1 cup water, and add that as well. Sprinkle in the -red–pepper flakes, and season with the salt. Submerge the basil sprig in the sauce.
Simmer the sauce until it is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Discard the basil.
I also can't believe we got 20 responses deep into this thread and not a single response mentions pesto.
If you make a good pesto, and it's easy in a food processor or blender, (forget Nonna's grind it in a mortar and pestle hours long concoction!) and keep it in jars with a thin film of EVOO over the surface, it keeps for quite a while.
That's my go-to pasta sauce.
I was response #5, and I mentioned pesto.
Don't feel bad.
So you’re saying Klaatu isn’t grown up yet?
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If it has tomatoes in it, it's a variation to me, and I'd just rather not eat it.
ah, an admitted lycopersicumophobe
Nope. No problem with the "T" in a BLT, or in a Caprese salad. Just not on my spaghetti.
I love my Spaghetti and Meatballs - first fry the Meatballs of course, then drop half of them into the sauce for another 30 minutes on a low flame and pour over the Spaghetti... #FOODPORN
I love my Spaghetti and Meatballs - first fry the Meatballs of course, then drop half of them into the sauce for another 30 minutes on a low flame and pour over the Spaghetti... #FOODPORN
Well, I hope at least you leave out the toes...
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In comment 14466759 BlueLou'sBack said:
Quote:
Bolognese is NOT "a variation of tomato sauce!"
Heaven forbid.
What a bunch of dummies on this board, Lou. How do they not know that bolognese is a variation of chili? And I was gonna mention pesto, but you beat me to it.
Darn it! I always thought chili was kinda spicy Bolognese with beans... except I never grind beef for chili but prefer chunks cooked until they start to fall apart.
I knew one Italian chef who never pre-ground his beef for "Bolognese" either, but in fairness he called it "meat ragu", not bolognese.
Meat ragu, great variations here. I've done lamb, duck, and wild boar, not all at the same time, but separate. Odd though, for some reason the duck, and boar we called Sugo, but lamb, beef, and pork get the Ragu name.
I also do variations of Bolognese. Tonight I've got an Octopus Bolognese, ground Octopus, Prosciutto, Tomato, Cream, Butter, and a little Veal Stock. Yes, we put cheese on it too.
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on my Spaghetti if I'm eating Spaghetti and Meatballs, which by the way is probably my favorite dish to both cook and eat in the entire world.
I love my Spaghetti and Meatballs - first fry the Meatballs of course, then drop half of them into the sauce for another 30 minutes on a low flame and pour over the Spaghetti... #FOODPORN
Well, I hope at least you leave out the toes...
yeah, so Quayleian
Tonight I've got an Octopus Bolognese, ground Octopus, Prosciutto, Tomato, Cream, Butter, and a little Veal Stock. Yes, we put cheese on it too.
Who the hell thinks of making octopus bolognese? God bless you. At least I know what to do with my leftover octopus now :)
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Tonight I've got an Octopus Bolognese, ground Octopus, Prosciutto, Tomato, Cream, Butter, and a little Veal Stock. Yes, we put cheese on it too.
Who the hell thinks of making octopus bolognese? God bless you. At least I know what to do with my leftover octopus now :)
Drew cooks with a decidedly Cajun influence (his restaurant - Drew's Bayshore Bistro in Keyport, NJ is excellent and balanced between Cajun and French bistro traditions).
So seafood plus meat (especially cured or smoked pork meat) for him is like what Forrest Gump said about himself and Jenny - "like peas and carrots."
;-)
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on my Spaghetti if I'm eating Spaghetti and Meatballs, which by the way is probably my favorite dish to both cook and eat in the entire world.
I love my Spaghetti and Meatballs - first fry the Meatballs of course, then drop half of them into the sauce for another 30 minutes on a low flame and pour over the Spaghetti... #FOODPORN
Well, I hope at least you leave out the toes...
Can I eat the toes? Can I eat the toes?
30 years I have been a chef and always scratch my my head why people want just pasta and sauce. Marinara is a mother sauce imo and you take it from there. Kid's being the only exception.
I love my Spaghetti and Meatballs - first fry the Meatballs of course, then drop half of them into the sauce for another 30 minutes on a low flame and pour over the Spaghetti... #FOODPORN
You DO NOT FRY a meatball, pan sear, roast? I really hope that was a typo.
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on my Spaghetti if I'm eating Spaghetti and Meatballs, which by the way is probably my favorite dish to both cook and eat in the entire world.
I love my Spaghetti and Meatballs - first fry the Meatballs of course, then drop half of them into the sauce for another 30 minutes on a low flame and pour over the Spaghetti... #FOODPORN
You DO NOT FRY a meatball, pan sear, roast? I really hope that was a typo.
You DO NOT FRY a meatball, pan sear, roast? I really hope that was a typo.
I'm constantly looking for the perfect meatball flavor, texture, moistness. I've pan seared, roasted and even deep fried, but I don't think it brings much to the party for me. I've gone back to just cooking them in the sauce.
Nobody at Googs home goes hungry...
Quote:
on my Spaghetti if I'm eating Spaghetti and Meatballs, which by the way is probably my favorite dish to both cook and eat in the entire world.
I love my Spaghetti and Meatballs - first fry the Meatballs of course, then drop half of them into the sauce for another 30 minutes on a low flame and pour over the Spaghetti... #FOODPORN
You DO NOT FRY a meatball, pan sear, roast? I really hope that was a typo.
What are you talking about? Of course I fry my meatballs, is this some kind of joke comment? Pan sear? Roast? Have you ever made meatballs before?
Or can Bertolli’s do the trick?
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You DO NOT FRY a meatball, pan sear, roast? I really hope that was a typo.
I'm constantly looking for the perfect meatball flavor, texture, moistness. I've pan seared, roasted and even deep fried, but I don't think it brings much to the party for me. I've gone back to just cooking them in the sauce.
Dear Bill in UT:
Whether or not you pan fry, deep fry, pan sear (isn't that the same as pan fry?) roast or for that matter poach your meatballs in broth or tomato sauces doesn't make the faintest bit of difference to the "perfect moisture or texture" of the meatball.
Moistness and texture are varied by the type of meat and fat content, the "lightening agent(s)" used - panade, grated raw potato, rice, mashed potato (cooked) bread crumbs, egg, baking powder, soda water - and eggs. The variation in cooking you mention affect the flavor of the meatball by whether or not the surface of the balls are browned to create the meatier maillard reaction, or not. But they don't appreciably alter the meatballs' interior characteristics.
I like about two pounds of half ground beef and half poultry - chicken or turkey - with a stiff panade made from about 3 oz of dry but not stale white bread worked into a very thick and stiff paste with just enough 50 % reduced stock or broth, and 1 egg. A few tablespoons of cooked minced onion and garlic, and a couple of tablespoons of minced chopped fresh parsley and some spices pending my mood.
The panade and the egg largely determine the balls' texture. My wife makes great meatballs but with a grated raw potato, an egg, and baking powder mixed in.
To each their own.
Pan roasted starts out the same as pan seared, the pan is heated and then the item is seared, and then the entire pan is put in the oven to finish roasting.
And the last is pan fried which is how my living family has been cooking meatballs for the past 70 years is to differentiate it from deep frying and is sometimes called shallow fried and basically means that the item being fried needs to be turned over because there is not enough fat to completely submerge the item.
Pan roasted starts out the same as pan seared, the pan is heated and then the item is seared, and then the entire pan is put in the oven to finish roasting.
And the last is pan fried which is how my living family has been cooking meatballs for the past 70 years is to differentiate it from deep frying and is sometimes called shallow fried and basically means that the item being fried needs to be turned over because there is not enough fat to completely submerge the item.
All roads lead to Rome. Basically, however you get there, the question is whether creating a crust on the outside of the meatball improves it's flavor. I haven't found that it does, but maybe I haven't got the greatest palate. It certainly changes it's texture.
p.s.--and I like the thin spaghettis (capellini/angel hair)....
Quote:
In comment 14466892 bigblue1124 said:
Quote:
You DO NOT FRY a meatball, pan sear, roast? I really hope that was a typo.
I'm constantly looking for the perfect meatball flavor, texture, moistness. I've pan seared, roasted and even deep fried, but I don't think it brings much to the party for me. I've gone back to just cooking them in the sauce.
Dear Bill in UT:
Whether or not you pan fry, deep fry, pan sear (isn't that the same as pan fry?) roast or for that matter poach your meatballs in broth or tomato sauces doesn't make the faintest bit of difference to the "perfect moisture or texture" of the meatball.
Moistness and texture are varied by the type of meat and fat content, the "lightening agent(s)" used - panade, grated raw potato, rice, mashed potato (cooked) bread crumbs, egg, baking powder, soda water - and eggs. The variation in cooking you mention affect the flavor of the meatball by whether or not the surface of the balls are browned to create the meatier maillard reaction, or not. But they don't appreciably alter the meatballs' interior characteristics.
I like about two pounds of half ground beef and half poultry - chicken or turkey - with a stiff panade made from about 3 oz of dry but not stale white bread worked into a very thick and stiff paste with just enough 50 % reduced stock or broth, and 1 egg. A few tablespoons of cooked minced onion and garlic, and a couple of tablespoons of minced chopped fresh parsley and some spices pending my mood.
The panade and the egg largely determine the balls' texture. My wife makes great meatballs but with a grated raw potato, an egg, and baking powder mixed in.
To each their own.
Thanks, Lou.
Another is simple, pasta with a crema d'peperoncini, which we haven't been able to find in the US in a while. To try to replicate it we use fresh parsley, garlic, evoo, crushed pepper flakes.
Another is simple, pasta with a crema d'peperoncini, which we haven't been able to find in the US in a while. To try to replicate it we use fresh parsley, garlic, evoo, crushed pepper flakes.
Matt, "crema d'peperoncini" is simple to make and has no cream.
Ingredients:
Olive oil
Chilli peppers - (Habanero or Jalapeno is fine)
Salt to taste
I drop a few whole garlic cloves for my liking
A few shots of whiskey
An empty Jar
Process:
Cut the stems from the Chilli peppers
Place them into the empty jar
Optional - some people will use the food processor and blend the peppers down. I don't.
Add the shots of whiskey and close the jar for 4 days. The whiskey should cover 1/4th of the peppers in height. Stir it once daily getting all the peppers moist.
After 4 days add the olive oil, salt and garlic cloves and keep the jar closed for 3 days.
Ready to eat.
The whisky brings out the hot flavor of the peppers before adding the olive oil. Give it a try, add what you like...
Just the other day I made a "Chili with beans" with hunks of Genoa salami instead of beef! Actually came out pretty good except for a slight over-saltiness. Didn't account properly for the salt in the salami.
Love Genoa Salami - the one I used specified "uncured" which I gather means not smoked.
Love Genoa Salami - the one I used specified "uncured" which I gather means not smoked.
It’s not related to smoking (Genoa salami, whether “cured” or “uncured” is not smoked).
Cured meats contain nitrates, which preserve food. They also provide the pink hue you see in salamis, hot dogs etc. They have been linked to cancer, so you now see many “uncured” products on the market. Thing is, they’re not any healthier. They use a natural preservative, usually celery powder, which itself is high in nitrates.
My Italian card is a Benelli SuperNova. Come and get it.
On BBI, the Mods are more dangerous than shotguns.
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Love Genoa Salami - the one I used specified "uncured" which I gather means not smoked.
It’s not related to smoking (Genoa salami, whether “cured” or “uncured” is not smoked).
Cured meats contain nitrates, which preserve food. They also provide the pink hue you see in salamis, hot dogs etc. They have been linked to cancer, so you now see many “uncured” products on the market. Thing is, they’re not any healthier. They use a natural preservative, usually celery powder, which itself is high in nitrates.
Exactly! This Genoa Salami specifies both "celery powder" among the ingredients, and "Does Not Contain Nitrates".
Thanks for the clarification re smoked.
"Manufacturers using celery products can claim their meat has “no nitrates or nitrites added,” except for those naturally occurring. But celery is naturally high in nitrates, so adding celery powder to meat is simply another way of providing nitrates. In passing from mouth to stomach, nitrates get converted to nitrite."
Also found in the past couple of days that many vegetables are naturally high in nitrates
Link - ( New Window )
"Manufacturers using celery products can claim their Meath has “no nitrates or nitrites added,” except for those naturally occurring. But celery is naturally high in nitrates, so adding celery powder to meat is simply another way of providing nitrates. In passing from mouth to stomach, nitrates get converted to nitrite."
Also found in the past couple of days that many vegetables are naturally high in nitrates Link - ( New Window )
Yes, vegetables are high in nitrates. The average person consumes several times as much nitrates from vegetables than processed meat. But nitrates themselves are not known to be a health risk on their own. It’s when they are combined with meat protein and heat that causes cancer causing compounds to be created.
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I found this information on several sites:
"Manufacturers using celery products can claim their Meath has “no nitrates or nitrites added,” except for those naturally occurring. But celery is naturally high in nitrates, so adding celery powder to meat is simply another way of providing nitrates. In passing from mouth to stomach, nitrates get converted to nitrite."
Also found in the past couple of days that many vegetables are naturally high in nitrates Link - ( New Window )
Yes, vegetables are high in nitrates. The average person consumes several times as much nitrates from vegetables than processed meat. But nitrates themselves are not known to be a health risk on their own. It’s when they are combined with meat protein and heat that causes cancer causing compounds to be created.
So - we should eat our Genoa Salami as purchased, and stay away from cooking it? Got it.
So, basically, you know as little about food as you do about football. Got that?
Goddamn fruitist.
In your dreams.
great thread!
great thread!
I know you are, but what am I?