I lived with a cook whom I called Cook for 15 years. He was Italian American and ran the kitchen. Pasta dishes were among his signature dishes and he would only buy/use Barilla. Now that I'm running the show, I'm thinking of branching out. I have an Italian grocer nearby where I can get the genuine article from Italy. Does anyone have any suggestions? PS - Not interested in pasta made of quinoa, rice, or corn.
Trader Joe's refrigerated pastas are pretty good. They require less cooking time--which is nice when it's hot out--and they're all gluten free. Nothing wrong with Barilla either though. Both of those are good options. I'm not eating a lot of simple carbs these days, so if you're not into the pasta alternatives--all of which are terrible, let's face it--not much else I can suggest. Those two brands are the ones I eat, or used to eat, rather. If you're feeling really adventurous, you could try making it from scratch. I think it's just flour, water, egg and a little salt. Maybe some baking powder. We did it once a billion years ago with lasagna noodles. Truthfully don't remember how it came out.
One of my co-workers has a machine that turns vegetables (usually zucchini) into the string shape of spaghetti. She then sautées it. I haven't seen her final product brought to work; just something she talks about as a dinner meal.
I don't like the way it makes me feel afterward sometimes with all the full and bloating but then other times,Ike when you're craving something decent while camping or hang over or something, a nice creamy pasta dish is ace.
Pasta is pasta, for the most part. It's a simple food with straightforward ingredients, so no need to spend more money on fancy brands. If your Cook was an Italian chef, and used Barilla, then Barilla is probably solid.
I hope you never say that rice is rice to an Asian person. Pasta is NOT pasta; the shape, cooking time, method of removal from the water, liquids/sauces/gravies that top it, and--of course--ingredients from which it is made creates a completely different eating experience. For example, angel hair pasta with a drizzling of olive oil and some sautéed mushrooms is quite a different experience from baked ziti with a tomato and meat sauce. Some brands of pasta take longer to cook because they are not made of wheat or semolina. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/barilla-pasta/ Another lesser known reason for my wanting to avoid Barilla was relating to anti-gay comments that had been made by the company chairman. They have since made a big turnaround and I forgive them. Nonetheless, I like to have options.
Fair enough, I guess. As you mentioned the beauty of a pasta dish is in the sauce and other toppings, not so much in the raw pasta itself. Pasta is a blank slate type of food, as far as I am concerned. Exceptions for stuffed pastas, like ravioli or tortellini.
I get fat when I eat pasta. But I like it. They have some really good Udon pasta dishes at a nearby Japanese restaurant that I used to really like (not so much since I've been dieting since Easter).
Do you know of any places that make their pasta locally and sell it? We have a little cafe/grocery here, really more like a cafe/farmers market because all the produce is local - But anyways they make pasta in house and then sell it. Something like that would probably be your best bet, other than making it at home, as it would be much fresher than any store bought brand. So something just occurred to me...i've been wanting to start making my own sour dough bread because it is on the healthier side of bread. Which makes me wonder....is sourdough pasta a thing? I wonder if that would be good or absolutely disgusting? I might have to experiment and find out Edit, it IS a thing. https://thegingeredwhisk.com/rustic-sourdough-pasta-of-all-shapes/
I tried making something called sourdough porridge. It was one of the GROSSEST things I had ever concocted. Sourdough Pasta (with a Pasta Machine) By contrast, however, sourdough pasta looks like a real thing. Let me know how it turns out. I've never made pasta at home.
It's funny, in Itally they see the opposite: pasta IS the dish. The sauce is supposed to enhance or mesh with the flavor of the pasta; not over power it like we do here in the US. They also see the crust as the main and most important part of a pizza. Go figure.
That is quite interesting, actually. I agree about the crust though. I am not a pasta person (or a bready carb person in general) so I guess I can't be much of a snob about good pasta. BUT good crust can make or break a pizza.
I don't know about make or break but good crust can definitely take a pizza to another level and pizza is the one food I feel Cali really misses the mark on. Luckily there are enough Chicago influenced Pizza joints to provide hope for something more than what California Pizza has to offer. The thing I love about pasta is that I can appreciate it on all levels, for the pasta, for the sauce, for the veggies, etc.
You know, I have never had Chicago style pizza. Ever. Just seems like waaaaaay too much food for one meal. One slice is the same amount of food as an entire NY style pizza.
Doesn't sound familiar. I like any crust that balances crispy and doughy. I like a thin crust but not this cracker type crust you sometimes come across. But unlike the Italians, I don't want the crust to be the main thing. It shouldn't be so bready that it's the star of the meal. I'm all about cheese and toppings
