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Questions tagged [italian-cuisine]

Questions with this tag should be about traditional ingredients, preparations or dishes from Italy - such as focaccia, risotto or tiramisu. Questions about ingredients common to Italian style cooking, but which aren't about a specific Italian dish, should not use this tag.

Questions with this tag should be about traditional ingredients, preparations or dishes from Italy - such as pasta, focaccia, risotto or tiramisu. Questions about ingredients common to Italian style cooking, but which aren't about a specific Italian dish, should not use this tag.

197 questions
68
votes
28 answers

In a tomato sauce recipe, how can I cut the acidity?

It seems that every time I make a tomato sauce for pasta, the sauce is a little bit too acid for my taste. I've tried using sugar or sodium bicarbonate, but I'm not satisfied with the results.
Curry
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45
votes
7 answers

Why are there so many different pasta shapes?

Do the different pasta shapes serve any purpose, or are they just for fun? Some difference appear to be cultural (lo mein vs spaghetti), but there are so many different syles of Italian pasta, is there a reason for this? Clearly there need to be…
DaveParillo
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36
votes
7 answers

Fry onions and garlic before adding to the sauce?

I am making a tomato sauce for pasta but I am not sure whether to put the garlic and onions into the sauce raw or to sauté them first? What would be the difference in the taste, does one have more depth?
Definity
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30
votes
10 answers

How should I prepare Risotto

I've been watching a lot of Hells Kitchen, and one of the signature dishes that Chef Ramsay has the chefs prepare is Risotto. This seems like a simple enough dish but often times the seasoned chefs on the show get it wrong. I'd like to try making…
Geoff Dalgas
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30
votes
10 answers

How do cooks prepare risotto in a restaurant?

I'm not looking for a Risotto recipe. I make a pretty nice risotto, thank you very much. But, making a risotto takes about 20 minutes. It seems unreasonable to me that a cook would start from scratch in a restaurant. So how do they do it? There…
Chris Cudmore
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30
votes
13 answers

Fish and cheese: An unbreakable rule?

I always wondered about this seemingly static rule: Never add cheese (especially, but not limited to parmigiano reggiano) to a dish with fish. Italians would never, ever add parmigiano reggiano to a pasta with fish. But they have many other…
Sebastian
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27
votes
2 answers

Why doesn't Greek cuisine use a lot of spices, compared to neighbors?

According to what I know almost all countries in the Mediterranean which surround Greece use a lot of spices in their cuisine. Greece itself has been occupied by such countries for hundreds of years. There has always been trade and travel between…
cheater
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24
votes
6 answers

Onion and Garlic, a no-no?

I had an Italian flatmate once who was on the brink of lynching me when he saw I used garlic and onion in one dish. He said that - at least in Italian cuisine - thats an absolute no-no. You can use both, but never together. Especially with…
Hans Meiser
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23
votes
4 answers

I never succeed in thickening sauces with pasta water. What am I doing wrong?

Every cook praises how starchy pasta water is great for thickening sauces and helping the sauce cling to the noodles. But no matter how much pasta water I add, it never thickens the sauce.Yesterday I cooked one pound of pasta in a liter of water…
Bar Akiva
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22
votes
7 answers

What's a good substitute for basil in pesto sauce?

I'm making some pasta at home with a pesto sauce. The recipe I'm referring to asks for some basil leaves to go along with the pine nuts in the food processor. Unfortunately, I can't find basil where I live, and I'm looking for a something else to…
Yejus
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21
votes
6 answers

What is this Italian Cookie called?

I'm looking for a recipe for an Italian cookie that I remember having as a child. The cookie is shaped like a gnocchi or cavatelli but is much bigger, about 1.5 inches long and slightly larger than a quarter in diameter. It is distinctly 'C'…
Joe Casadonte
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20
votes
11 answers

What can be used as a substitute for tomato sauce in typical italian dishes?

I have a friend that has developed an allergy or sensitivity of some kind to tomato sauce in foods. She has been craving pizza, pasta, and lasagna for a while now and I've been searching for a way to make those sorts of dishes without using…
Aaron Thomas
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18
votes
11 answers

What's the difference between a Stromboli and a Calzone?

On the east coast Italian restaurants (or pizza shops) sometimes offer both Strombolis and Calzones. Sometimes it seems that Calzones are a 'type' of Stromboli, because the menu has a single Calzone but a list of different Strombolis. But I doubt…
Tim Lytle
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18
votes
8 answers

Should I use whole eggs or only yolks in Spaghetti alla Carbonara?

I tried to cook spaghetti alla carbonara and searching out I found out that some recipes use whole eggs and some only the egg yolks. Which way gives the better result?
Felissa
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18
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7 answers

Traditionally, is prosciutto never to be cooked?

In a discussion about pancetta and prosciutto in sauces (specifically, bolognese), a friend said that "Traditionally, prosciutto is never to be cooked." I have not heard that before. I also cannot find anything in searches for "is prosciutto…
aqn
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