Good Italian Food

[Girino]

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.

"Parmigiana" usually refers to "parmigiana di melanzane", layers of deep fried slices of eggplant, mozzarella and tomato sauce. I don't know why it became an adjective to indicate something with tomato sauce and melt cheese, which here in Argentina call "a la pizza". Anyway a terrible terrible misuse of the word. Also misleading... I was in an "Italian" restaurant in NY and I ordered "spaghetti parmigiana", convinced I was going to get spaghetti with parmigiano cheese. Instead I got spaghetti and parmigiana di melanzane on the same dish.

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.

Already discussed in separate post. You will never see them on an Italian menu, unless to go to that very place in Rome that invented it.

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.

Ricotta would be okay in green lasagna, I hope it doesn't mean you put ricotta in the traditional meat-y lasagna.
There is a registered recipe at the chamber of commerce in Bologna for the "ragù" sauce (meat sauce), which includes milk. Honestly, I just learned about this recently and I was very surprised.
I don't see mozzarella very well in a lasagna, because it is too watery and honestly white sauce (bechamel) and mozzarella doesn't sound exactly a match made in heaven. Du-uh.

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.

I wouldn't define this a sauce, it is simply pasta with oil and clams. A variant includes also tomato sauce.
I believe there is a linguistic misunderstanding about salsa/sauce. In Italian, "salsa" refers to the texture of the condiment, not to the condiment itself. So if you say "mushroom sauce" I immediately think about minced mushroom, whereas if the mushroom are sliced or whole, we simply say "with mushroom".

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.

In marsala sauce there is no mushroom nor scallions. Just marsala, water, flour and balsamic vinegar. I love it! (and please don't ever think of doing it with chicken.)

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.

What is this obsession with chicken?! Saltimbocca are not made with chicken. They are made with 3 things: one slice of veal, one slice of seasoned ham and a leave of sage, kept together with a toothpick and cooked. Besides "prosciutto ham"... what the heck?! Prosciutto IS ham, then there is a full range of type of ham.

 

[Girino]

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.

AFAIK, pasta primavera is served cold, just like a rice salad, with diced veggies.

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.

I tried to google this in Italian and I get only results in English. I have never heard of them.
The be honest "alla diavola" (with no religious figure involved) is anything hot and spicy. I don't see hot and spicy well with shrimp. Wouldn't that cover its subtle taste?

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.

Can you believe I never tried that? It was very popular some time ago, though.

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.

First of all, meatballs with spaghetti is something invented in NJ by Sicilian immigrants. There might be such a dish somewhere in a remote town in Sicily, but it is definitely not mainland Italian. The moment you say "Spaghetti meatball", you are distancing yourself miles from any Italian heritage.
Broccoli and tomato sauce... I don't think there is a specific name for this dish, and I don't know about it. Honestly, I don't see them very well. Usually vegetables call for oil (or maybe a bechamel), not a heavy tomato sauce.
Ground beef - I believe it refers to ragù alla bolognese, but that is not quick. It has to cook for a hour an half!

 

[Rich One]

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.

Pasta e Piselli is the perfect food combination according to nutritionists

 

[TomAtAlki]

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/

Hey Rich One, Thant's a fantastic site.

How did you get the videos in English?

Thanks, T/

 

[Girino]

Hey Rich One, Thant's a fantastic site.

How did you get the videos in English?

Thanks, T/

Not all of the recipes are in English.
Usually you have to start the video and the option to choose between Italian, Spanish and English should appear in the lower right corner.
/EDIT: it looks like they have changed the video player and this option is no longer available. However they have a channel on YouTube with English video recipes.

Actually, this is not the bible since they revise and modernize some recipes that would be otherwise extremely long to prepare - who has the time, nowadays?
Then in the comment section everybody argues on the correct ingredients to use and the order they are used. Very Italian!

I use that site very often, though! They also have an app available in English.
For iOS here, for Android here.

 

[wineguy999]

Serafina, I stand corrected. I must have confused my Alfredo with my meatballs. Thought it went back to some "Chef Alfredo" in New York or Jersey.

But I notice no one stood up to defend Olive Garden - thank the gods!

 

[Girino]

Serafina, I stand corrected. I must have confused my Alfredo with my meatballs. Thought it went back to some "Chef Alfredo" in New York or Jersey.

But I notice no one stood up to defend Olive Garden - thank the gods!

Also Caesar salad is often mistook as a reference to the Roman emperor, thus an Italian dish, whereas it was invented in Mexico (if I am not mistaken) and then became successful in the US.
But there are a lot of food curiosities... for example what we call "insalata russa" (lit. Russian salad) in Russia is actually called "French salad" or Olivier salad.

I stopped caring too much about "original recipes" as long as I like what I am eating.
I just get crazy at those menu with misleading Italian names for dishes which have very little in common with the ones that bear that name in Italy. I read the menu and I get a whole idea, and then I am carried a whole different story. WTF?!

 

[Redbeanz]

Also Caesar salad is often mistook as a reference to the Roman emperor, thus an Italian dish, whereas it was invented in Mexico (if I am not mistaken) and then became successful in the US.
But there are a lot of food curiosities... for example what we call "insalata russa" (lit. Russian salad) in Russia is actually called "French salad" or Olivier salad.

I stopped caring too much about "original recipes" as long as I like what I am eating.
I just get crazy at those menu with misleading Italian names for dishes which have very little in common with the ones that bear that name in Italy. I read the menu and I get a whole idea, and then I am carried a whole different story. WTF?!

I know what you mean, Serafina. When the Cajun food trend swept across the U.S. and some larger cities worldwide, we (from Louisiana) were shocked at what was being sold as "authentically Cajun," I.e. throw a lot of hot sauce on anything, and cover with peppers and garlic. NOT Cajun food.
In Buenos Aires, NOLA Gastropub gets Louisiana food right! Yumm-- am getting hungry.

 

[TomAtAlki]

Also Caesar salad is often mistook as a reference to the Roman emperor, thus an Italian dish, whereas it was invented in Mexico (if I am not mistaken) and then became successful in the US.
But there are a lot of food curiosities... for example what we call "insalata russa" (lit. Russian salad) in Russia is actually called "French salad" or Olivier salad.

I stopped caring too much about "original recipes" as long as I like what I am eating.
I just get crazy at those menu with misleading Italian names for dishes which have very little in common with the ones that bear that name in Italy. I read the menu and I get a whole idea, and then I am carried a whole different story. WTF?!

Caesar salid is said to have originated in Tijuana at the Caesar Restaurant.

T/

 

[Hybrid Ambassador]

Marco Polo discovered the pastas from Chinos, thus now we eat spaghettis.

Myth: Pasta originally comes from Italy.
Worldwide, pasta has become synonymous with Italian cuisine. Italian immigrants themselves brought pasta everywhere they went. While it is true that the most famous varieties and recipes of cooking pasta really do come from Italy, surprisingly, the actual origin of pasta lies elsewhere!
So how did pasta make its way to Italy? One of the more popular theories was published in the ‘Macaroni Journal’ by the Association of Food Industries. It states that pasta was brought to Italy by Marco Polo via China. Polo ventured to China in the time of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and the Chinese had been consuming noodles as early as 3000 B.C. in the Qinghai province. There is even some evidence there of 4,000-year-old noodles made from foxtail and broomcorn millet.
Unfortunately, there are problems with this theory, least of which is that the noodles they were making in China aren’t technically considered pasta. Polo also described Chinese noodles as being like “lagana”, which implies he was possibly already familiar with a pasta-like food before going to China. Further, in 1279, there was a Genoese soldier that listed in the inventory of his estate a basket of dried pasta. Polo didn’t come back from China until 1295. For those who don’t know, Genoa is a sea port in Italy. Further, the modern pasta like we know it was first described in 1154 by an Arab geographer, Idrisi, as being common in Sicily. So Marco Polo could not have brought pasta to Italy via China. It was already in Italy at that time.
So how did it get there? Most food historians believe that Arabs (specifically from Libya) are to be credited for bringing pasta, along with spinach, eggplant and sugar cane, to the Mediterranean basin. In the Talmud, written in Aramaic in the 5th century AD, there is a reference to pasta being cooked by boiling. It is thought, then, that pasta was introduced to Italy during the Arab conquests of Sicily in the 9th century AD, which had the interesting side effect of drastically influencing the region’s cuisine. It also known that by the 12th century, the Italians had learned from the Arabs methods for drying pasta to preserve it while traveling. Further support for this theory can be found by the fact that, in many old Sicilian pasta recipes, there are Arab gastronomic introductions.