recently made Mike Easton's Bolognese (from Il Corvo), it did involve some work but was fantastic, and I was able to freeze some of it to appreciate later
― Dan S, Saturday, 13 March 2021 01:56 (three years ago) link
If I could only have one forever, and it's one of a few I'll make fairly regularly, puttanesca
― or something, Saturday, 13 March 2021 01:57 (three years ago) link
Made an eight hour pomodoro sauce over the summer, voting for that. Tomato as a psychedelic experience.
― lukas, Saturday, 13 March 2021 01:58 (three years ago) link
I'm planning on doing a Bolognese with the addition of chicken liver this week for the first after taking some advice. Just about everything I cook has carrots celery and onion it - so that is the holy trinity for me. I'm not even sure what the difference is between Ragu and Bolognese - but they are the ones I fuck with most often so I will have to vote for one of them. I add smoked paprika to just about everything I make these days - so it's never really authentic.
― calzino, Saturday, 13 March 2021 01:59 (three years ago) link
xxxp probably the best Italian meal I've ever had was a rabbit ragu the restaurant said was cooked for 16 hour or something which hits two points where I will never make it myself: butchering a rabbit and watching anything on the stove for 16 hours
― Joe Bombin (milo z), Saturday, 13 March 2021 02:00 (three years ago) link
So many Carbonara recipes have no coherent explanation of how to temper the beaten eggs and pecorino/parmesan cheese mixture with slightly cooled pasta water before adding it back into the pasta. That's the key step
― Dan S, Saturday, 13 March 2021 02:20 (three years ago) link
bolognese
― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 13 March 2021 02:25 (three years ago) link
alfredo can be great but daaammmnnn there is a lot of horrible alfredo out there
― Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Saturday, 13 March 2021 02:27 (three years ago) link
ragu and bolognese probably don't need to be separate entries.
voting amatriciana because when i look at this list right now that's what i want.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 13 March 2021 02:30 (three years ago) link
arrabiata and puttanesca are similar but the anchovies and olives in puttanesca raise it above
― Dan S, Saturday, 13 March 2021 02:39 (three years ago) link
probably the best Italian meal I've ever had was a rabbit ragu the restaurant said was cooked for 16 hour or something
I once had a goat ragu that was deep and delicious and perfect for winter months.
― avatar of a kind of respectability homosexual culture (Eric H.), Saturday, 13 March 2021 02:55 (three years ago) link
some of these I have semantic issues considering a "sauce" because ... idk maybe I think of sauces as more complicated/time consuming to make? ... so as much as I like the garlic/olive oil combo, I don't think of it as a sauce, so I'm going with marinara because it is the most versatile imo
― sarahell, Saturday, 13 March 2021 03:12 (three years ago) link
marinara is like vanilla ice cream though, even simple recipes like garlic and olive oil or grana padano cheese and pepper are better concepts even if they are not technically sauces
― Dan S, Saturday, 13 March 2021 03:31 (three years ago) link
What the distinction we’re drawing here between ragu and bolognese
― Canon in Deez (silby), Saturday, 13 March 2021 03:33 (three years ago) link
my understanding is that ragu is more like stewed meat in sauce, bolognese is more finely ground
― Dan S, Saturday, 13 March 2021 03:37 (three years ago) link
vanilla ice cream is amazing!
― intrusive dobro, shoeless guest (Sufjan Grafton), Saturday, 13 March 2021 03:38 (three years ago) link
I thought ragu was a subset of bolognese
― Joe Bombin (milo z), Saturday, 13 March 2021 03:40 (three years ago) link
My experience is ragu is more pronouncedly tomatoey, and bolognese is meat/milk/veg forward.
― avatar of a kind of respectability homosexual culture (Eric H.), Saturday, 13 March 2021 03:43 (three years ago) link
https://askanydifference.com/difference-between-ragu-and-bolognese/#:~:text=The%20main%20difference%20between%20Ragu,Bolognese%20sauce%20used%20white%20wine.
― avatar of a kind of respectability homosexual culture (Eric H.), Saturday, 13 March 2021 03:44 (three years ago) link
interesting
― Dan S, Saturday, 13 March 2021 03:45 (three years ago) link
I have had some really amazing vanilla ice cream tbh
― sarahell, Saturday, 13 March 2021 03:54 (three years ago) link
the answer is still Carbonara imo
― Dan S, Saturday, 13 March 2021 04:17 (three years ago) link
ragu is more like stewed meat in sauce
maybe you're thinking of ragout
― Judge Roi Behan (Aimless), Saturday, 13 March 2021 04:33 (three years ago) link
you're right, just now learning the difference between ragout and ragu
― Dan S, Saturday, 13 March 2021 04:42 (three years ago) link
I know the one off this list that I make best is the vodka sauce.
― underminer of twenty years of excellent contribution to this borad (dan m), Saturday, 13 March 2021 04:44 (three years ago) link
ragù alla bolognese is the full name of bolognese. there are other ragù, but they are all meat sauces for pasta, there is no one sauce called ragù
― himpathy with the devil (jim in vancouver), Saturday, 13 March 2021 05:48 (three years ago) link
carbonara > ragu > bolognese > marinara
― Being cheap is expensive (snoball), Saturday, 13 March 2021 11:42 (three years ago) link
Putanesca is one I make the most, as you can get a good satisfying depth of flavour really quickly from the anchovies. But would it be really unhip and British of me to say bolognese?
― chap, Saturday, 13 March 2021 13:35 (three years ago) link
But I mean all of these are delicious if done well.
― chap, Saturday, 13 March 2021 13:36 (three years ago) link
Bortaga with olive oil, lemon, parsley and garlic...
― chap, Saturday, 13 March 2021 13:38 (three years ago) link
Cacio e pepe might be the hardest thing on the planet to make.
This is impossible (to everything there is a season), but gun to my head I might go the Roberta's oxtail ragu that cooks for 4-5 hours.
When you take into account how easy/little time it takes to make, Amatriciana or pesto.
― is that a haruomi hosono sword? (PBKR), Saturday, 13 March 2021 16:13 (three years ago) link
Fresh home made pesto is soooo good, particularly with really good pecorino.
― chap, Saturday, 13 March 2021 18:43 (three years ago) link
― chap, Saturday, March 13, 2021 7:38 AM (five hours ago) bookmarkflaglink
I've done a sauce like this but with anchovies instead of bortaga, it's fantastic with skinny/angel hair spaghetti.
― underminer of twenty years of excellent contribution to this borad (dan m), Saturday, 13 March 2021 18:53 (three years ago) link
really unhip and British of me to say bolognese?
A good bolognese can be amazing. But it's all too easy for it to be meh.
― Being cheap is expensive (snoball), Saturday, 13 March 2021 18:57 (three years ago) link
― is that a haruomi hosono sword? (PBKR), Saturday, March 13, 2021 11:13 AM (two hours ago) bookmarkflaglink
there was a cacio e pepe recipe in lucky peach that works. i think i may have posted it in its entirety on ilx when the lucky peach site was shut down.
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 13 March 2021 19:18 (three years ago) link
Marinara. Not watery. Lots of garlic in the olive oil, removed from the oil before adding the tomatoes.
― SQUIRREL MEAT!! (Capitaine Jay Vee), Saturday, 13 March 2021 19:25 (three years ago) link
― call all destroyer, Saturday, March 13, 2021 2:18 PM (fourteen minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink
I'd be curious. It's the technique that is the issue for me. I used Frank Prisinzano's method the last time and got a lot closer to avoiding the clumping that has always been my problem, but I started with too much water. I'm getting closer!
― is that a haruomi hosono sword? (PBKR), Saturday, 13 March 2021 19:37 (three years ago) link
i love a good vodka sauce
― Zach_TBD (Karl Malone), Saturday, 13 March 2021 19:38 (three years ago) link
love to get sauced on good vodka
― intrusive dobro, shoeless guest (Sufjan Grafton), Saturday, 13 March 2021 19:42 (three years ago) link
this post has the cacio e pepe recipe: what's cooking? part 5: 2017-2027
― call all destroyer, Saturday, 13 March 2021 19:45 (three years ago) link
cacio e pepe is cursed it is of the devili cant make it work i tried twice & almost cried both timessummary: i dont care enough abt fkn stupid parmesan cheese & fkn goddamn spaghetti to ever try againthis dish specifically gives me lex-level anxiety
― terminators of endearment (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 13 March 2021 20:01 (three years ago) link
voted Ragu but i'll put any of these on
― Red Nerussi (Neanderthal), Saturday, 13 March 2021 20:03 (three years ago) link
I’ve only had cacio e pepe that I’ve made myself. Is it right? I doubt it! Does it taste good? Yes.
― Canon in Deez (silby), Saturday, 13 March 2021 20:11 (three years ago) link
Putanesca gets my vote. I worked in an Italian restaurant kitchen for a couple of years in my youth and never came across Marsala, going to have a pop at making some next week.
― (the one with 3 L's) (Willl), Saturday, 13 March 2021 21:50 (three years ago) link
Puttanesca for life, simple but versatile and just flavour flavour flav
― scamp til you're damp (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 13 March 2021 22:54 (three years ago) link
I really really wish I liked olives.
― avatar of a kind of respectability homosexual culture (Eric H.), Saturday, 13 March 2021 23:30 (three years ago) link
tbh with the anchovy base and a bit of playing about you could make a puttansecesque sauce without the olives if you were that way inclined
― scamp til you're damp (Noodle Vague), Saturday, 13 March 2021 23:34 (three years ago) link
Puttanesca is an amazing dish for how simple it is
― himpathy with the devil (jim in vancouver), Saturday, 13 March 2021 23:37 (three years ago) link
Don't even need good ingredients,great with crap canned olives
― himpathy with the devil (jim in vancouver), Saturday, 13 March 2021 23:38 (three years ago) link
i've heard that you can do fish sauce instead of anchovies for an interesting twist re puttanesca
― map ca. 1890 (map), Saturday, 13 March 2021 23:39 (three years ago) link
I love puttanesca and voted for it. I love good cacio e pepe but as noted it's hard to make my and not end up with a gummy mess. My wife's gotten pretty good at it, I'll ask which recipe she uses. She also made this delicious cacio e pepe shortbread, which is not a sauce but here's the recipe anyway: https://www.tastecooking.com/recipes/cacio-e-pepe-shortbread/
― a man often referred to in the news media as the Duke of Saxony (tipsy mothra), Tuesday, 6 April 2021 02:31 (three years ago) link
The one I think of myself as most excited about is carbonara, but when I think back to the most perfect, sublime pasta dish I've ever eaten, it was an amatriciana, and that's what I'm going with.
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Tuesday, 6 April 2021 04:16 (three years ago) link
When I was 8, my answer would have been alfredo, and I respect anyone who has stuck with it.
Of these, the one I just don't get is vodka sauce.
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Tuesday, 6 April 2021 04:17 (three years ago) link
What do you call it when it's just pasta water, olive oil, and parmesan?
― change display name (Jordan), Tuesday, 6 April 2021 04:19 (three years ago) link
Difficult to tell most of these apart coming from my own food culture so between all the bologneses (anything red) and all the carbonaras (not red) i choose the former
― your own personal qanon (darraghmac), Tuesday, 6 April 2021 00:14 (seven hours ago) bookmarkflaglink
this is, without any exaggeration, your worst post of all time
― imago, Tuesday, 6 April 2021 07:28 (three years ago) link
simple backpass on, the lad's cunted it into his own top corner
― imago, Tuesday, 6 April 2021 07:29 (three years ago) link
I do a decent version of most of these from scratch, dont get me wrong
Its just that theres not really any difference between like seven of them
― your own personal qanon (darraghmac), Tuesday, 6 April 2021 07:49 (three years ago) link
Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.
― System, Wednesday, 7 April 2021 00:01 (three years ago) link
not mad at puttanesca. have made it twice in the last few weeks funnily enough. probably one of the easiest extremely tasty meals one can make.
my rough recipe:
put the water on to boil for the pasta and put the pasta in when boiling, cook to a couple of minutes below what the packet suggests. drain and retain a few tablespoons of pasta water. do the below while the water is boiling/pasta is cooking
mince about 4 garlic cloves and about 6 anchovies, fry them gently in lots of EVOO til the garlic is coloured
chop a handful (maybe roughly 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup) olives and capers and add to the aforementioned
small tin of tomatoes, as in not the big one, crush the tomatoes and add the can to your mixture
add the pasta and pasta water to the sauce alongsidea handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley, a handful of grated parm, a bunch of pepper, maybe a little salt (possibly not with the capers and olives) mix and let the pasta cook a little more for a few minutes.
serve with more parm for the top (and more pepper if you like pepper)
― 《Myst1kOblivi0n》 (jim in vancouver), Wednesday, 7 April 2021 00:18 (three years ago) link
Ah, and my aversion to olives once again comes into play.
― avatar of a kind of respectability homosexual culture (Eric H.), Wednesday, 7 April 2021 00:46 (three years ago) link
https://newmansown.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Marinara-WEBs.png
― So who you gonna call? The martini police (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Wednesday, 7 April 2021 00:50 (three years ago) link
Puttanesca and amatriciana are the most fun to say
― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Wednesday, 7 April 2021 00:56 (three years ago) link
I use Lydia's recipe for puttanesca and she uses pecorino instead of parm. I like the way that works with all the other strong, salty flavors. No need to add any salt.
― guillotines aren't just for royalty anymore (PBKR), Wednesday, 7 April 2021 02:12 (three years ago) link
I dunno what it is about the vodka sauce, I learned a recipe back when I was just getting into cooking and I've made it more times than I can count.
Lightly sautee 4-5 minced cloves of garlic, red pepper flakes and salt to taste, all in 1/4 cup olive oil. Add a large can of crushed tomatoes and simmer until nicely reduced, at least 20 minutes or so. Add 2 tbsp vodka after about 15 minutes and stir in. Add 3/4ish cup cream after sauce has reduced, stir in.
Toss with cooked penne or macaroni and a cup or so of chopped parsley. It's great. The explanation I heard was there are alcohol-soluble flavor compounds in the tomato that you wouldn't taste otherwise.
― underminer of twenty years of excellent contribution to this borad (dan m), Wednesday, 7 April 2021 02:42 (three years ago) link
I like clam sauce a lot too. Also kind of surprised marsala got no votes.
― underminer of twenty years of excellent contribution to this borad (dan m), Wednesday, 7 April 2021 02:47 (three years ago) link
yes, the theory of vodka sauce is that you get a punched-up tomato flavor. i don't make it frequently but if you're in the mood for tomato + a little extra richness it can be great.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 7 April 2021 02:50 (three years ago) link
just made jim’s puttanesca recipe to the letter and am receiving universal acclaim from a crowd aged 14 to 50 ... way to go jim and also poll result!
― assert (MatthewK), Wednesday, 7 April 2021 09:45 (three years ago) link
oops I freestyled a half teaspoon of chili paste, sue me
― assert (MatthewK), Wednesday, 7 April 2021 09:47 (three years ago) link
Just making my first attempt at a puttanesca sauce thanks to this thread and jim in vancouver's recipe. It smells divine.
― Vanishing Point (Chinaski), Monday, 12 April 2021 19:09 (three years ago) link
Genovese deserves better than it got
― Guayaquil (eephus!), Monday, 12 April 2021 19:18 (three years ago) link
Oh and lemon zest/juice, can't forget that. It was pretty revolutionary for us to realize we don't need a red sauce for delicious pasta.
― change display name (Jordan), Monday, 12 April 2021 19:27 (three years ago) link
I guess this is "al limone"?
― change display name (Jordan), Monday, 12 April 2021 19:28 (three years ago) link
Pesto, Carbonara and Bolognese are my top 3, so olives aside, the poll is right.
― avatar of a kind of respectability homosexual culture (Eric H.), Monday, 12 April 2021 19:35 (three years ago) link
man, my boyf made his puttanesca again last night and fuck it's so good. basically like jim's receipe but he adds canned mackerel and that chili paste that matthew added. oh and baking sode to the tomatoes! which de-acidifies them and brings out the sweetness.
― John Cooper of Christian rock band Skillet (map), Monday, 12 April 2021 19:55 (three years ago) link
I made ramp pesto this weekend. Slightly strong, but so good.
― guillotines aren't just for royalty anymore (PBKR), Monday, 12 April 2021 22:16 (three years ago) link
I dunno what it is about the vodka sauce, I learned a recipe back when I was just getting into cooking and I've made it more times than I can count. [...] ― underminer of twenty years of excellent contribution to this borad (dan m), Wednesday, 7 April 2021 03:42 (one month ago)
― underminer of twenty years of excellent contribution to this borad (dan m), Wednesday, 7 April 2021 03:42 (one month ago)
enjoyed this dish v much, thanks for sharing
― salsa shark, Saturday, 5 June 2021 19:24 (two years ago) link
Welcome, comrade
― underminer of twenty years of excellent contribution to this borad (dan m), Sunday, 6 June 2021 01:08 (two years ago) link
change vote to aglio e olio pls
― imago, Monday, 10 January 2022 08:08 (two years ago) link
my late night quick pasta option is similar to this but not with the lemon, which seems to be a key ingredient.
― calzino, Monday, 10 January 2022 08:36 (two years ago) link
the one I made last night had close to a full bulb of garlic, three chillies and a load of pecorino grated over the top. no lemon. was perfect. but ofc it depends on the pasta shape too. my actual vote would be more like this:
spaghetti - aglio e oliolinguine - vongolemost other things - pesto (but alternatives considered)
― imago, Monday, 10 January 2022 08:49 (two years ago) link
the one time I looked at a recipe for aglio e olio it had lemon juice as an emulsifier for the boiled pasta and oil but looking around it's not a common ingredient for this one. I always use some butter as well as the oil with my sauces or simple pasta dishes.
― calzino, Monday, 10 January 2022 11:44 (two years ago) link
Personal top 3:Pesto alla trapaneseAmatricianaCacio e pepe (hardest one to get exactly right imo)
― willem, Monday, 10 January 2022 12:26 (two years ago) link
Vodka sauce - that seems to be a specifically american thing? As someone living in a very heavily Italian populated community I cant say its a sauce I see here at all.
― Stoop Crone (Trayce), Monday, 10 January 2022 22:13 (two years ago) link
Yes, though there are claims it was invented in Italy
― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Monday, 10 January 2022 22:51 (two years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOWG4pU2-6Y
Italian chef making penne alla vodka. If I understood him, he's saying the use of vodka came via Croatian influence.
― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Friday, 14 January 2022 09:01 (two years ago) link
Oops brain fart. Slovenian not Croatian.
― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Friday, 14 January 2022 09:03 (two years ago) link
Can't stand marsala, I'm glad it received zero votes
― Jimmy Iovine Eat World (bernard snowy), Friday, 14 January 2022 11:36 (two years ago) link
never had it and it sure doesn't look good
― calzino, Friday, 14 January 2022 11:41 (two years ago) link
there are a lot of good uses for marsala that aren't pasta sauce tbf
― imago, Friday, 14 January 2022 12:18 (two years ago) link