DD Support Board and Research Team

[janice shell]

Muellers now makes pot size pasta so no breaking them up.

WTF???? You are NOT SUPPOSED to break up long-format pasta. It's long for a REASON. What even IS "pot-sized"?? You cook pasta in an 8 quart stock pot. ALL pasta needs lots of water to cook properly. (Unlike beans, which should be just covered.)

You put the pasta in the boiling water. It will start to soften immediately, at which point you push it down into the water and stir it. Then you cook it till it's al dente. I cook my sauce in a skillet, and when the pasta's almost cooked, I use tongs (for long-format) to fish it out and transfer it to the skillet, and then cook for a minute or so more, adding a little pasta water if necessary.

For short-format, I fish it out with a spider, and then do the same to finish.

I don't have all day to make sauce or gravy depending on what the Italians call it.

In Italy, sauce for pasta is called "salsa" or "sugo". Sugo would be the equivalent of "gravy"; it's also used for the sauce a roast would create, especially if you added some additional liquid, like wine, and then cooked it down quickly.

Hey, you're retired. Why don't you have all day to make a sauce? It's not as if you have to watch it constantly. I can throw together a plain tomato sauce in about 15 minutes. You just chop up some garlic, cook it in a few tablespoons of olive oil till it's just about to turn brown, and add a 28 oz or 35 oz (Cento makes that) can of Italian plum tomatoes. Or you could use good quality diced tomatoes. Add salt, and if you want, some hot chili flakes. Bring to a boil, then turn down to low. If you're using whole tomatoes, break them up roughly with a wooden spoon.

Cook covered for awhile. You don't need to add any extra water; the tomatoes will give off enough. Add just a little sugar. Continue to cook partially covered till it cooks down to the consistency you want. If you're in the mood, add a chunk of butter to emulsify the sauce.

Very little work. You can use as much as you need for a first meal. Obviously you can also use other ingredients. For example, you can add broken up bulk sausage before you put in the garlic.

It's easy. You only have to take a look to make sure it isn't burning every once in awhile.