Going to make "Pasta alla Genovese"

[Meryl]

@pictonguy @KatyCooks So, it has finished. Not had it other than taste nibbling. Seems to be missing something.
The beef cubes didn't break down as I thought they would, I did a chop-chop with my two wooden spatulas and fixed that.
Nor did the onions seem to disappear - perhaps I am being too critical. It is certainly nice and thick though. I think I thought there would be a more beefy flavour with the onions.
This was around 3pm
View attachment 76542


and this is just now 7:40pm
View attachment 76543
Rising steam kept clouding the lens !

We'll see how the flavour is tomorrow on some pasta.

And another looks great for you, too @dragnlaw . Well done to you all, I just haven't got the stamina to wait so many hours for something to cook, so I usually just make a variant, I think I've mentioned it before. Less onions and chunks of meat which don't shred, but very tender, about 2hours, served usually without pasta, just as a meat dish. Who knows though, maybe now that Winter is approaching, on a freezing day, I may just try it, just the once. Buon appetito.

 

[pictonguy]

And another looks great for you, too @dragnlaw . Well done to you all, I just haven't got the stamina to wait so many hours for something to cook, so I usually just make a variant, I think I've mentioned it before. Less onions and chunks of meat which don't shred, but very tender, about 2hours, served usually without pasta, just as a meat dish. Who knows though, maybe now that Winter is approaching, on a freezing day, I may just try it, just the once. Buon appetito.

Yeah I agree. I made that lamb ragu which is made exactly like you've described and it's what I prefer over this onion ragu, so there you are, these things must be tested because "variety is the spice of life", is it not.

 

[pictonguy]

@pictonguy @KatyCooks So, it has finished. Not had it other than taste nibbling. Seems to be missing something.
The beef cubes didn't break down as I thought they would, I did a chop-chop with my two wooden spatulas and fixed that.
Nor did the onions seem to disappear - perhaps I am being too critical. It is certainly nice and thick though. I think I thought there would be a more beefy flavour with the onions.
This was around 3pm
View attachment 76542


and this is just now 7:40pm
View attachment 76543
Rising steam kept clouding the lens !

We'll see how the flavour is tomorrow on some pasta.

Looks good.

 

[KatyCooks]

@pictonguy @KatyCooks So, it has finished. Not had it other than taste nibbling. Seems to be missing something.
The beef cubes didn't break down as I thought they would, I did a chop-chop with my two wooden spatulas and fixed that.
Nor did the onions seem to disappear - perhaps I am being too critical. It is certainly nice and thick though. I think I thought there would be a more beefy flavour with the onions.
This was around 3pm
View attachment 76542


and this is just now 7:40pm
View attachment 76543
Rising steam kept clouding the lens !

We'll see how the flavour is tomorrow on some pasta.

Mine looked very similar to yours Dragn. I hope your beef is more tender than mine was!

 

[KatyCooks]

It was fun doing three different cooking methods for the same recipe! We should try it again with something else (not necessarily different cooking methods but just find a recipe that a few of us want to make and all make and post pictures and updates for our versions of it.)

 

[dragnlaw]

So I got 4 pkg. of 'sauce'. The ladle will be for tonight, other 3 into the freezer.
That's a fairly large ladle and is what is in each of the sandwich bags.(which are folded over to keep the contents sausage shaped)

 

[KatyCooks]

So I got 4 pkg. of 'sauce'. The ladle will be for tonight, other 3 into the freezer.
That's a fairly large ladle and is what is in each of the sandwich bags.(which are folded over to keep the contents sausage shaped)
View attachment 76561

So funny! I have done the same Dragn! (In my case two bags - 1 for a pasta meal for 2, the other for two toppings for baked potatoes). AND I folded my bags up into sausage shapes too! I labelled mine - I am sure you have done the same?

 

[dragnlaw]

yes, I've labeled them. Slowly learning the hard way I won't remember!

I used to freeze the bags flat but think I prefer the sausage way. Even though there might be a minutes difference in longer to defrost, I found the flat envelope shapes seem to slip down the freezer into never-ever-find-again land - and if and when you do find them again, their own grandchildren don't recognize them.

 

[KatyCooks]

yes, I've labeled them. Slowly learning the hard way I won't remember!

I used to freeze the bags flat but think I prefer the sausage way. Even though there might be a minutes difference in longer to defrost, I found the flat envelope shapes seem to slip down the freezer into never-ever-find-again land - and if and when you do find them again, their own grandchildren don't recognize them.

Yeah, I think the sausage shape works best too.

 

[Shining Wizard]

I like this idea! Maybe on a Monday, we suggest the week’s “challenge”. We all weigh in on what we should make and then as the week progresses, we can post our thoughts, ideas and tips and eventually reveal our results??
I’m in!

 

[taxlady]

I like this idea! Maybe on a Monday, we suggest the week’s “challenge”. We all weigh in on what we should make and then as the week progresses, we can post our thoughts, ideas and tips and eventually reveal our results??
I’m in!

I think we did something along those lines here, years ago. It wasn't quite that, but in that vein. I wish I could remember enough about it to do a search and find some of the old threads.

 

[caseydog]

I think we did something along those lines here, years ago. It wasn't quite that, but in that vein. I wish I could remember enough about it to do a search and find some of the old threads.

Yes, I "hosted" a few challenges, but not enough people participated, so I stopped.

Here is one of them...

Halloween a New challenge (not a contest)...

October is upon us, so let's do a new challenge. Halloween Food. As with my last challenge, there are no rules, other than you enter something Halloween related. It can be a tasty treat, or something made from pumpkin, or anything else that says "Halloween!" to you. No winners, no losers...

www.discusscooking.com

CD

 

[taxlady]

Oh, I meant far more years ago than that.

I seem to remember one where the challenge was to make a meal with only ingredients that could be bought at a convenience store. There may have been an exception for common pantry staples or for spices or herbs or something.

 

[dragnlaw]

Just read thru that post you linked casey - Was fun. This year I'm attempting a Gingerbread Halloween House. But it is bigger than I thought and I'm having a hard time motivating my mojo to get going as I must start NOW.

 

[caseydog]

Just read thru that post you linked casey - Was fun. This year I'm attempting a Gingerbread Halloween House. But it is bigger than I thought and I'm having a hard time motivating my mojo to get going as I must start NOW.

My ex wife and I made a few gingerbread houses. It was fun. To make them structurally sound, the gingerbread needs to be pretty hard, so it is tough to eat.

CD

 

[dragnlaw]

rolling the dough thin is part of the trick to make them stable.
When making smaller ones at Christmas for the kids to decorate I "try" to make them thicker so as to be slightly more cookie like and edible.
But really, strength is in the hardness, just like you say, and that is achieved by making thin walls. Or find a better recipe! LOL.

 

[pictonguy]

I'd like to, but not available locally, there's something to snapping ziti to length that is very satisfying. I can get ziti on amazon, but there's nothing else at the moment I need and ordering something for 4 bucks doesn't sit right with me. I'll see what I can find in Belleville, a small city about 30 minutes away.

@Meryl

So, I went to Belleville and found some casarecce and I'll use that.

 

[dragnlaw]

That looks perfect! Probably even better than the ziti!

 

[Meryl]

@Meryl

So, I went to Belleville and found some casarecce and I'll use that.

View attachment 76576
View attachment 76577

Great choice! I've bought those before but not same brand.

 

[pictonguy]

That looks perfect! Probably even better than the ziti!

Thanks dragnlaw for the vote of confidence but ziti is the ideal pasta, but I don't have another option right now, so I'll give this a go. Even something like a mezzi rigatoni where you want tube structure without overwhelming bulk is probably the way to go but almost impossible to find where I live without ordering it on line of going to Toronto and hitting the Italian markets. I'm sure it will be fine though and I will find some ziti so I can compare and I have some frozen ragu, so I'll make that happen and give my opinion, who knows maybe I'll be surprised.