Good Italian Food

[Girino]

It was a seafood risotto with the Mix you just described. I was a little bit shocked to see lettuce on top of it.

Today would be great for some mushroom risotto...

Then you are right, perejil was called for seafood risotto! I think the chef just saw something green and threw that on top! Mhew!
My personal suggestion for seafood risotto: a squeeze of lemon.
Of course no cheese. I repeat: no cheese whatsoever.


Looks like we found a location for the first Expat lunch ever. Thanks wineguy999.

 

[Matt84]

Of course no cheese. I repeat: no cheese whatsoever.

Grazie mille! I feel so vindicated

 

[Bajo_cero2]

That's argie fusion, there is no such thing as a fugazzeta in Italy.

Banchero admits its invention.

 

[Hybrid Ambassador]

Was looking for best Italian dishes and these list came up. Serafina, what is your opinion for the Italian dishes below.?



1. Chicken parmigiana -- A classic dish that also works as a sub sandwich. Virtually anything breaded and deep-fried with melted cheese is going to be a hit.
2. Fettuccine alfredo -- One of the heavier Italian sauces, a creamy alfredo sauce sticks best to wide noodles like fettuccini. While store-bought packages don't do the dish justice, one can find the best alfredo-style sauces at Al Fresco Ristorante at 11710 Jefferson Ave. in Newport News.
3. Lasagna -- A classic dish, lasagna is a conglomeration of ingredients that reflect the taste of the person making it. The best lasagnas are home-made and include plenty of ground beef, sausage, ricotta, mozzarella and parmesean cheeses.
4. Linguine with clam sauce -- Clam sauces vary, but the best examples of this dish come in a garlic and oil sauce and use whole clams. Il Giardino's at 910 Atlantic Ave. has Linguine alla Vongole, the best local take on this meal.
5. Veal marsala -- A good marsala wine sauce is loaded with mushrooms and scallions. However, the thought of veal turns some people off and chicken can be too boring. A refreshing twist to this dish is a sirloin marsala, offered by Carraba's Italian Grill at 12363 Hornsby Ln. in Newport News.
6. Chicken Saltimbocca -- "Saltimbocca" is a combination of Italian terms that means, "jumps into one's mouth." Most of these dishes combine a meat, such as chicken, with prosciutto ham, spinach, and mozzarella cheese. Luigi's Italian Restaurant at 15400 Warwick Blvd. in Newport News has the best saltimbocca dishes.
7. Pasta primavera -- One of the most well-known Italian vegetarian dishes. "Primavera" means springtime and can include any combination of vegetables over pasta in a variety of sauces. Olive Garden's Shrimp Primavera is a tasty deviation from this traditionally veggie dish.
8. Shrimp fra diavolo -- Italian food with a kick. "Diavolo" is Italian for devil and this style of red sauce relies on crushed red pepper and garlic. The best fra diavolo sauces are made at home, as the person cooking can decide how spicy to make the dish.
9. Penne alla vodka -- Vodka sauces have become popular in recent years. Usually a mixture of marinara and a cream sauce with basil and a shot of vodka, a reddish vodka sauce is a savory experience. The best vodka sauce is made at Amalfi Ristorante at 2010 Colley Ave. in Norfolk.
10. Spaghetti with tomato sauce -- Don't forget the old mainstay. This dish is simple, inexpensive and has a number of options to add, including meatballs, mushrooms, broccoli, sausage, or ground beef. Spaghetti with tomato sauce is quick and simple enough to be made at home any time.

 

[wineguy999]

Fettuccine alfredo -- One of the heavier Italian sauces, a creamy alfredo sauce sticks best to wide noodles like fettuccini. While store-bought packages don't do the dish justice, one can find the best alfredo-style sauces at Al Fresco Ristorante at 11710 Jefferson Ave. in Newport News.

Pasta primavera -- One of the most well-known Italian vegetarian dishes. "Primavera" means springtime and can include any combination of vegetables over pasta in a variety of sauces. Olive Garden's Shrimp Primavera is a tasty deviation from this traditionally veggie dish.

I'm not Serafina, but...

Ignore the web site where you found these. Alfredo sauce has nothing to do with Italy - it is an American invention, as is Italian Cream Cake. And anyone who recommends anything at Olive Garden should be blacklisted from writing about food anywhere.

 

[Hybrid Ambassador]

I'm not Serafina, but...

Ignore the web site where you found these. Alfredo sauce has nothing to do with Italy - it is an American invention, as is Italian Cream Cake. And anyone who recommends anything at Olive Garden should be blacklisted from writing about food anywhere.

Olive Garden? Anyone eating at the mentioned restaurants could die of sodium overdose ! I was taken there about ten years ago by my friends for lunch. Don't remember what i had that day but kept drinking bottles of water the whole rest of the day! I was feeling so thirsty so to keep emptying bottles after bottles! NEVER go to Olive Gardens !

 

[Girino]

Actually, Fettucine Alfredo were invented in Rome at the restaurant of this Alfredo, and they were invented for American tourists, which fell in love for the dish and imported it into the US. Oddly enough, it did never took off in Italy, so we have these weird moments where American try to bond with our culinary heritage naming Fettucine Alfredo and Italians dropping their jaw and screaming "sacrilegious!". Anyway, the place changed venue but it is still going on, so if you want to have the original fettuccine Alfredo, you are still on time... read the story

 

[Hybrid Ambassador]

Fettucine Alfredo, is..Perhaps the only Italian pasta dish I abhor due to its heavy use of cream and cheese thus culminating
to creating that molasses like viscosity.

 

[Girino]

Fettucine Alfredo, is..Perhaps the only Italian pasta dish I abhor due to its heavy use of cream and cheese thus culminating
to creating that molasses like viscosity.

I have never had Fettuccine Alfredo, but I brought myself to like mac & cheese, though I wasn't able to have them as a side dish - it is still pasta, sorry.
Anyway, I read the recipe of Fettucine Alfredo and they don't look like an abherration. Indeed, one of the easiest pasta recipe who will fill your stomach and let your guest feel like they had a wonderful meal, consist in dressing pasta/gnocchi with a sauce of mascarpone plus something else.
My favorites:
1) mascarpone + gorgonzola (sort of roquefort cheese)
2) mascarpone + smoked salmon
3) mascarpone + nuts

There are also other "classics" such as "panna, prosciutto e piselli" (or also "panna, prosciutto e funghi"), but the cream used is usually the thick cream used for cooking, and not the liquid cream used in pastry.

Of course, the pasta should never float, nor in tomato sauce nor in other kind of sauce.
Anyway I have to confess that over the years I became very tolerant about "Italian recipes" and Italian cooking. There are so many facts and misfacts about it, blog articles, magazine articles, tourism articles, and on Italian recipe websites the readers are constantly arguing over what is the "true" recipe for a certain dish.

 

[Rich One]

The BIBLE for Italian cooking is the web page giallo zaferano with recipes on video in English.

http://ricette.giall...ne-Alfredo.html

http://www.giallozafferano.it/