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We have another "new" restaurant opened up in the village, I say new but it's about a year old, I've only been once and didn't like it, the pasta was horrible and he (the owner) served this starter of some kind of fried meat and veg balls on a brown cardboard lined plate. I asked him what the brown cardboard was for, he said in a very Roman accent verging on laughable, its a not a bout a the presentation its a bout a the tast a, I said we'll why doesn't this have any apart from the oil.
The only fresh pasta I find in supermarkets here is tagliatelle and lasagna sheets (and not always the latter). But there is a woman on our local street market who makes fresh pasta and puts it through a machine depending on what kind you want.
If you ever come to Italy,you will see that 98% of people here never make their own pasta ;-)
Maybe an exception is tortellini or other filled pastas in some parts of the centre and north.
No-one I know would waste time making lasagne sheets or spaghetti,when you can buy it ready-made easily and cheaply (and better than you can make it).........
Everything else is best left to the experts......pasta.pizza,almost all cakes,biscuits,ice-cream.
All these things are made by specialists with far more experience and skill than you....so let them do their job ;-)
That's why many of us enjoy doing just that.
My pasta, pizza, most cakes and biscuits, and icecream, too, are every bit as good as most "specialists'": offerings, and are frequently a lot fresher and more wholesome.They usually cost far less as well, and I take comfort in the knowledge that the ingredients are of the highest quality, with none of the corner-cutting money-saving practices of many of the "specialists".
Lucapal, a friend of mine has a photograph of a great-great aunt (or someone along those lines) making something that lloks like orecchiette while sitting outside a trullo in Puglia. But that was c. 1970, and things may have changed.
It may be that an individual has the time and the talent to make things better than the professionals..but most people (the vast majority) do not.
I make pizza too,and I make ice cream...cos i enjoy making it.
Is it as good as the best in Palermo? No...but I like it ;-)
I wouldn't bother making lasagne sheets for sure....
Everything else is best left to the experts+
Thank you lucapal, that's how I feel as well. I also judge what I'll put my time into by how much difference there is in the taste of the final product. Maybe I'm a Phillistine, but I don't taste any difference between fresh lasagna noodles and pre-made. There's just too much going on in a lasagna for that kind of subtelty to come through.
(and better than you can make it) you want to bet!
With the exception of ice-cream, which I refuse to make because the only Ice-cream I ever liked was made by an Italian (Mr Pandolfo) close to where I was born (no not Italy) and nothing I have ever tasted comes a close 2nd, I used to buy a 99 with raspberry vinegar from his little wooden cart (yes I'm that old). As for everything else, all it needs is common sense and patient tutors which I'm lucky to have had over the years I have worked in catering.
That stuff you get in boxes is just convenient and the reason most Italians buy it, isn't because it's made by expert machinery, it's for the same reason the British buy oven chips....convenience, nothing more.
As I recall from that previous discussion, others in the US said they could find the sheets, so it seems to be something local.
Nutrax
The plural of anecdote is not data.
But like I stated before - I would make it myself because it would be worth it. Mine would have more filling and flavor than store bought so it would be worth time and effort. (I'm not bragging, I would just put more effort and filling into it that Bertolli, btw).
I see the Lasagne experts are using Irish beef in their product.Eh
"The FSA said Findus had tested the meat in 18 of its beef lasagne products and found 11 meals in which it contained between 60% and 100% horsemeat."
Lucapal can't be Italian.
It is made fresh everyday,by people with years (actually generations) of experience.Using top quality fresh ingredients.
If you can make it half as good as them,you should be in business here ;-)
No.one is talking about frozen food from the supermarket.......
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30
If I want thin sheets for lasagna ravioli or tagliatelle I make it myself or I get my slow cooker to do it, the only pasta I buy is penne and fusilli etc., I don't think anything other than fresh can compare. There's an Italian bloke over here making and selling pasta, I call it frightened pasta because it's so pale, it doesn't say eggless but then it doesn't say anything apart from the name on it. No taste either, which proves that just because your Italian it doesn't mean you can make pasta, of course to hear him twitter on about which is what he kept doing before he started making it, you would have thought it was the best thing since they invented it.We have another "new" restaurant opened up in the village, I say new but it's about a year old, I've only been once and didn't like it, the pasta was horrible and he (the owner) served this starter of some kind of fried meat and veg balls on a brown cardboard lined plate. I asked him what the brown cardboard was for, he said in a very Roman accent verging on laughable, its a not a bout a the presentation its a bout a the tast a, I said we'll why doesn't this have any apart from the oil.
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Nutrax, maybe you can't find fresh pasta sheets in stores because fresh pasta doesn't last very long so they don't like to stock it?The only fresh pasta I find in supermarkets here is tagliatelle and lasagna sheets (and not always the latter). But there is a woman on our local street market who makes fresh pasta and puts it through a machine depending on what kind you want.
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DonkeystoneIf you ever come to Italy,you will see that 98% of people here never make their own pasta ;-)
Maybe an exception is tortellini or other filled pastas in some parts of the centre and north.
No-one I know would waste time making lasagne sheets or spaghetti,when you can buy it ready-made easily and cheaply (and better than you can make it).........
33
Its a very Italian attitude to cooking.......if you can make something well,then make it yourself.Everything else is best left to the experts......pasta.pizza,almost all cakes,biscuits,ice-cream.
All these things are made by specialists with far more experience and skill than you....so let them do their job ;-)
34
". . .if you can make something well then make it yourself." I quite agree with you.That's why many of us enjoy doing just that.
My pasta, pizza, most cakes and biscuits, and icecream, too, are every bit as good as most "specialists'": offerings, and are frequently a lot fresher and more wholesome.They usually cost far less as well, and I take comfort in the knowledge that the ingredients are of the highest quality, with none of the corner-cutting money-saving practices of many of the "specialists".
35
Weaver, I was going to say "a Corona hand mill" (I used to own one) but I decided that was too many moving parts. I have seen things identical to metates and manos for sale in the antique souk in Riyadh, so I assume they can be used for wheat.Maybe an exception is tortellini or other filled pastas in some parts of the centre and north.
Lucapal, a friend of mine has a photograph of a great-great aunt (or someone along those lines) making something that lloks like orecchiette while sitting outside a trullo in Puglia. But that was c. 1970, and things may have changed.
36
Maybe mancub...never tried your food so I don't know.It may be that an individual has the time and the talent to make things better than the professionals..but most people (the vast majority) do not.
I make pizza too,and I make ice cream...cos i enjoy making it.
Is it as good as the best in Palermo? No...but I like it ;-)
I wouldn't bother making lasagne sheets for sure....
37
+Its a very Italian attitude to cooking.......if you can make something well,then make it yourself.Everything else is best left to the experts+
Thank you lucapal, that's how I feel as well. I also judge what I'll put my time into by how much difference there is in the taste of the final product. Maybe I'm a Phillistine, but I don't taste any difference between fresh lasagna noodles and pre-made. There's just too much going on in a lasagna for that kind of subtelty to come through.
38
We're not talking about handmade Chinese noodles, these things like pasta sheets are made in a machine, it's called automation, the only expertise needed is to operate it. Exceptions are bread and cakes which after the first mixing and maybe kneading in a machine, are then finished off by hand, and this is much the same for ice-cream only the machine is always automated unless you call turning a handle automated.(and better than you can make it) you want to bet!
With the exception of ice-cream, which I refuse to make because the only Ice-cream I ever liked was made by an Italian (Mr Pandolfo) close to where I was born (no not Italy) and nothing I have ever tasted comes a close 2nd, I used to buy a 99 with raspberry vinegar from his little wooden cart (yes I'm that old). As for everything else, all it needs is common sense and patient tutors which I'm lucky to have had over the years I have worked in catering.
That stuff you get in boxes is just convenient and the reason most Italians buy it, isn't because it's made by expert machinery, it's for the same reason the British buy oven chips....convenience, nothing more.
39
Nutrax, maybe you can't find fresh pasta sheets in stores because fresh pasta doesn't last very long so they don't like to stock it?
You can buy all sorts of fresh filled pastas, as well as fettuccine, linguini & other egg pastas. It's all pre-packaged like this, not loose in a deli counter. Refrigerated or frozen. Just not lasagna sheets. As I recall from that previous discussion, others in the US said they could find the sheets, so it seems to be something local.
Nutrax
The plural of anecdote is not data.
41
In Maryland I used to buy the grocery store brand of tortellini because they were bigger and more flavorful that Bertolli's. In NM Bertolli's is our only choice. I've contemplated making it myself, it's one of the few pasta products I would make myself. Then I got busy with other stuff and forgot about it. Maybe when I'm done with this stupid temp job I'll try it.But like I stated before - I would make it myself because it would be worth it. Mine would have more filling and flavor than store bought so it would be worth time and effort. (I'm not bragging, I would just put more effort and filling into it that Bertolli, btw).
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21377601I see the Lasagne experts are using Irish beef in their product.Eh
"The FSA said Findus had tested the meat in 18 of its beef lasagne products and found 11 meals in which it contained between 60% and 100% horsemeat."
Lucapal can't be Italian.
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Don't know where you have bought your ice-cream in italy Donkeystone,but mine sure doesn't come from a box!It is made fresh everyday,by people with years (actually generations) of experience.Using top quality fresh ingredients.
If you can make it half as good as them,you should be in business here ;-)
44
As for your 'chips' comment......I don't think you (or I ) can make chips as well as the best chip shops in England.No.one is talking about frozen food from the supermarket.......
