• Moderators, please send me a PM if you are unable to access mod permissions. Thanks, Habsy.

OT: What are you Watching/Listening/Drinking?

I dunno man... the wife made lasagna for the entire family a couple Thanksgivings ago. We spent like $70 on ingredients. To be fair, that made 2 big pans... but it wasn't cheap.

yeah... but the restaurants I’m taking about don’t typically have lasagna on the menu. Spaghetti with tomato sauce (maybe a bit of sausage/pancetta) costs very little per portion
 
Yeah, you're probably right. Although, the noodles were pretty cheap. The meat and cheese was expensive.

Getting lasagna in a restaurant is almost always a mistake. It's like an inch thick and is "okay" at best. A good homemade lasagna is at least 3 inches thick.
Yeah the meat.. How could I forget the meat? That's where the cost adds up for sure. A restaurant will certainly do everything they can to cut costs on their lasagnas, that's for sure. When you have pasta dishes that cost pennies to make, you can't realistically charge 2-3 times more for a lasagna. So their best option is to cut corners unfortunately.
 
I watched a bunch of kids make fresh pasta like pros on TV and then I tried it for the first time and it was a major fail. Texture of the dough was all off. Not sure if it was the recipe I used or what.

Any tips? I have a pasta maker (one of those hand crank ones).
 
Personally my nonna, who is about as fobby Italian as it gets, makes the least authentic lasagna ever and it's fucking fantastic.

In Italian Cooking, Nonnas are the the last fucking word on what’s “authentic”. Full stop. It’s probably the same deal with Chinese nonnas and dumplings, Thai nonnas with curries, etc.

If what you seek is third party certification of authenticity, then run to your closest French culinary academy. Don’t forget to buy your ridiculous hat.
 
I watched a bunch of kids make fresh pasta like pros on TV and then I tried it for the first time and it was a major fail. Texture of the dough was all off. Not sure if it was the recipe I used or what.

Any tips? I have a pasta maker (one of those hand crank ones).

might be the flour? Did you use semolina?
 
Sadly no. I couldn't find any. This recipe called for AP but it turned out awful. Is it just pointless without semolina?

I’m no expert, I don’t think it’s pointless at all. But might require adjusting the recipe a bit.
 
I used Serious Eats pasta recipe and it seemed a lot different than the other recipes I've seen. Dough just didn't come together very well. Quite a weird texture, very floury, couldn't get it smooth.


If anyone has a go to recipe they use, lemme know.
 
Here's a life hack for all you spaghetti lovers.
Wal-Mart sells something call the Italian Survival kit...by Romano...it's sauce and 12 meatballs, and it's fantastic.

I have not come close to finding something that reminds me of the old days when my grandmother made her sauce...this is as close as you will get store-bought.
It's simple tomato sauce and it's better than anything I've tried out of a can or bottle. Keep in mind I'm talking simple sauce, not three cheese or mushrooms or ground beef, just sauce.

Tip-the meatballs don't come out quite so well when you microwave cause the tops of them aren't quite in the sauce and when it gets boiling in your zapper the tops get a bit crunchy, but the sauce is fine 20 minutes on high.

Oven is longer, makes the meatballs better but they aren't the thing.
 
This PC made in Italy sauce basically tastes like my homemade version. It’s uncanny; but also predictable since the ingredients are 100% identical (no added sugar and shit). I also quite enjoy their black label pasta as well. Top shelf.
7523D306-6F42-4B8C-A4EF-14BD3AD40E5C.png
 
tenor.gif
 
And Pesto is divine. Better than tomato sauce really.

Its really the bolognese that sets me off.

Stuffing a shitload of carrots and celery into the sauce will never not be mangiacake to me.

Celery and carrots in a tomato sauce are crap.

I’m no veal scallopini but I make a bolognese sans celery and carrots and it’s dynamite.

also, if anybody’s midtown there’s a good shop on Yonge where you can get fresh pasta and it’s relatively inexpensive. Also freezes well.
 
Back
Top