Lasagna is the filet mignon of pastas
- Thread starter Raising Heel
- Start date
Lasagna is great but it is mere sirloin compared to the true filet mignon of pasta dishes, chicken parmigiana over homemade fettuccine . . . especially mine.
Pasta is fuggin delicious. It's the first, second, third, and fourth best thing about Italy.
Mmm now I want pasta.
Mmm now I want pasta.
Ravioli is good, but honestly, when I think of ravioli, the first thing I think of is Chef Boyardee.No Sir.
I'll add -- lasagna is better the day after than when it's fresh out of the oven. Letting it set overnight in the fridge makes it awesome.
Come on over sometime and I'll change your mind. The only remaining question will be pinot noir or Chianti?
I have an Italian cook off scheduled for Christmas Day with my buddy's wife (Jersey Italian) and we're feeding 12. I'm making lasagna (spicy Italian sausage), linguine w Sunday gravy (holy grail, you want recipe just ask), chicken marsala orecchiette, sausage and peppers, and a ricotta coffee cream dessert. No telling what she's doing but beat me last year so I'm sure it's great. Her eggplant rollatini was the deciding factor last time. Our homemade meatballs, while very different, were a draw. Lots of red wine!
My invitation must have gotten lost in the mail. Will you email it?
Che cavolo! I trust you'll have some help in the kitchen with that spread.
Don't be shy about sharing the linguine and Sunday gravy recipe.
I Used to love that cup-o-lasagna they served at the Rat.
Last edited:
Suona alla grande, bouno appetito. And yes, please share that gravy. I love a good Sunday gravy.
I like a good la bruzzi, but as easy as it really is, not many places do it right. My wife's bruzzi is my favorite. I'll cut someone over her gravy. And she doesn't try to ghey it up with a bunch of julienne cut veggies like broccoli and carrots like I see some folks do.
Ditto but I like to refer to it as glass bowl-o-cheese.
Sunday Gravy- so I don't have to type too much, this is a recipe from a really good friend at NYSE that's pretty close and I've edited quite a bit to get closer to my family recipe.
you need: 4 chicken thighs with the skin, 4 country style BONE IN pork chops, 4 sweet or spicy Italian sausage links, meatballs(below), onions, garlic, olive oil, red wine, s&p. 6 cans crushed tomatoes (NOT PUREE) Fresh basil, oregano, butter, sugar, red pepper flakes
Now - slice 3 large white onions, chop 4 gloves of garlic and sauté (med/hi) in olive oil in a heavy bottom pot. After about 5 mins...add the chicken thighs and brown for about 15 mins....remove the thighs and set aside. Now add the chops to the pot....brown these for about 15 mins...remove and set aside. Add Italian sausage in casing brown about 5 min. Remove and set aside. Deglaze pan w ladle of chicken stock and scrape bits from browned meats. Now add - cans of kitchen ready crushed San Marzano tomatoes....- add 1 cup red wine - I like valpolicello for this - stir - bring heat up to high until it boils then reduce to simmer....season with s&p, add the fresh chopped basil - like 6 / 8 leaves, oregano, red pepper flakes. Add back the chicken and pork. Let simmer on really low for several hours(4-6) until meat is falling apart and you can you pick all the bones out...add tomato paste if it gets too thin and add wine if gets too thick. at this point it is all done and finally add sausage and meatballs (below) and a stick of butter. Cook another 15-20 mins. Salt or sugar to taste.
The Meatballs:
You CANNOT USE LEAN GROUND BEEF.. Absolutely not....they will taste like cardboard.....you need GROUND CHUCK..... Do not buy the 90/10 (90% lean/10% fat) you are wasting good money and your time!!! You need at least 75/25.....(75% lean/25% fat)
Now that we got that right - (you can also add some ground pork or veal if you like) I always use 1 lb of ground chuck and 1 lb of ground pork.....2 eggs, pepper, handful or two of grated Pamegiana, (if you only have Romano then that's fine), 2 med cloves of crushed and minced garlic*, 2 slices of Italian bread soaked in whole milk and a splash of olive oil....no need to add salt - the cheese will provide it.
Remove any rings and wash your hands.....now form the meat balls....bigger than a golf ball, but smaller than a baseball....next - I fry my meatballs and then add to the sauce...you can also place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 mins or so on 350 degrees and then add to the sauce. If you are in a rush - then just add them to the sauce raw and they will cook in about 15 mins......but for me - I prefer to fry them first.
Buon Appetito.
you need: 4 chicken thighs with the skin, 4 country style BONE IN pork chops, 4 sweet or spicy Italian sausage links, meatballs(below), onions, garlic, olive oil, red wine, s&p. 6 cans crushed tomatoes (NOT PUREE) Fresh basil, oregano, butter, sugar, red pepper flakes
Now - slice 3 large white onions, chop 4 gloves of garlic and sauté (med/hi) in olive oil in a heavy bottom pot. After about 5 mins...add the chicken thighs and brown for about 15 mins....remove the thighs and set aside. Now add the chops to the pot....brown these for about 15 mins...remove and set aside. Add Italian sausage in casing brown about 5 min. Remove and set aside. Deglaze pan w ladle of chicken stock and scrape bits from browned meats. Now add - cans of kitchen ready crushed San Marzano tomatoes....- add 1 cup red wine - I like valpolicello for this - stir - bring heat up to high until it boils then reduce to simmer....season with s&p, add the fresh chopped basil - like 6 / 8 leaves, oregano, red pepper flakes. Add back the chicken and pork. Let simmer on really low for several hours(4-6) until meat is falling apart and you can you pick all the bones out...add tomato paste if it gets too thin and add wine if gets too thick. at this point it is all done and finally add sausage and meatballs (below) and a stick of butter. Cook another 15-20 mins. Salt or sugar to taste.
The Meatballs:
You CANNOT USE LEAN GROUND BEEF.. Absolutely not....they will taste like cardboard.....you need GROUND CHUCK..... Do not buy the 90/10 (90% lean/10% fat) you are wasting good money and your time!!! You need at least 75/25.....(75% lean/25% fat)
Now that we got that right - (you can also add some ground pork or veal if you like) I always use 1 lb of ground chuck and 1 lb of ground pork.....2 eggs, pepper, handful or two of grated Pamegiana, (if you only have Romano then that's fine), 2 med cloves of crushed and minced garlic*, 2 slices of Italian bread soaked in whole milk and a splash of olive oil....no need to add salt - the cheese will provide it.
Remove any rings and wash your hands.....now form the meat balls....bigger than a golf ball, but smaller than a baseball....next - I fry my meatballs and then add to the sauce...you can also place on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 mins or so on 350 degrees and then add to the sauce. If you are in a rush - then just add them to the sauce raw and they will cook in about 15 mins......but for me - I prefer to fry them first.
Buon Appetito.
Last edited:
Have you tried fried ravioli? I haven't made it in a really long time but it is delish too.No Sir.
Yes...it's amazing. Favorite ravioli is homemade spinach ravioli. The sauce has to be homemade from crushed home-grown tomatoes and (the key) mixed with a good alfredo sauce.
I just recently made a baked ziti and added homemade alfredo to the mix and it was soooo damn good! omg! I am gonna go to the store so I can make it again tonight! yum
One key point -- the sauce absolutely cannot be runny. My wife drives me crazy with this. She likes (basically) tomato soup...with some spaghetti noodles added in. That's not "spaghetti."
ummmm no, could not eat that either. I like mine to be chunky with onions, peppers, mushrooms and meat.
ummmm no, could not eat that either. I like mine to be chunky with onions, peppers, mushrooms and meat.
All good, but you can keep the mushrooms!
I'm the only one around here that loves mushrooms so it usually has to be left outAll good, but you can keep the mushrooms!
Mushrooms beat onions everyday of the week, and twice on sundays.
I like the benefits of mushrooms. Every time I have gotten really sick (Mono was a bitch), I've taken these supplements and worked better than anything the doctors gave me:
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-15383/4-awesome-health-benefits-of-reishi-mushrooms.html
But in terms of taste or any added value to the quality of any food item...Hell to the no. You guys can keep them. The comment regarding onions is straight blasphemy. Onions should have their own food group of awesomeness, right beside tomatoes.
So if lasagna is the filet mignon of pasta, does that make Hamburger Helper the Hamburger Helper of pasta?
Similar threads
