We're having spaghetti topped with leftover chili for dinner tonight. Add some sharp cheddar and it's stellar.

This is the one cuisine I really know about, because I go to Italy to see my family every year. They're legit amazing cooks, and they were appalled at my understanding of the cuisine ten years ago. These people make their own tortellini - thousands of them - at Christmas time. We make our own pasta, they make their own cheese and liqueurs, the extended family works in parma making prosciutto (which we hand slice at home with a deli slicer) and parmesan cheese (which we illegally import back to Milan).

Not trying to be a dick, it's just something that I know about and wish other people would realize is so easy to make right. It's so easy, and it's so much better, cheaper, and healthier. And damn delicious.

And sour cream...

We have

Lol at the pasta blowhard ROFL

I just disagree. I think you understand what I'm saying. Maybe not for you, but if you ask the average American if they want spaghetti, they envision spaghetti with a tomato sauce, maybe with or without meat.

With that "dish" in mind, I contend that that pasta itself doesn't matter.

With your acknowledgement that your ragu is what I think most people think of as "spaghetti," then my original statement that rigatoni is better than spaghetti stands. We agree!

Side note: When I was in the hospital a month ago, they came by for dinner orders. Offered "spaghetti." What they brought me not only had no spaghetti (it was farfalle) with some nasty ass unknown meat, cheese, and cream sauce. In no way was it spaghetti.

The 2 tablespoons of salt in water does taste like seawater. I wonder if you took your "two handfuls" and measure it how close we'd actually be here. You can't "pinch" a tablespoon, except like a 4-finger pinch.

Also, an Italian soffritto and miropoix are basically the same thing, plus parsley. Size of the dice or mince isn't the difference. A a finely minced miropoix is still miropoix.

This is fascinating to me. I'm getting into curing meat, and on deck is a pancetta from a locally sourced belly. I'm also planning to take a half ham, cure it, and hang it for a year for homemade prosciutto.

Do you guys like baked spaghetti.

Yes. Why ruin a good dish?

Have you ever tried whole milk ricotta?

Sweet Italian sausage....

I think I'm making some of that next weekend, minus the fennel.

I loathe fennel seeds.
don't mind the flavoring in a sausage, but hate biting into them.

My wife doesn't like spaghetti, but I do. I make meatballs with 80/20 beef and some italian sausage cut 2 parts beef to 1 part sausage. Add eggs, italian bread crumbs, garlic, oregano, onion powder, a little milk, squish it all up real good by hand in a mixing bowl, then roll the meatballs about the size of a ping pong ball, maybe a little smaller. Cook those in olive oil in a skillet till brown, then put them into the sauce low and slow to finish. I like Cascone's and Jasper's sauces, but Prego will do in a pinch. I'm not a spaghetti sauce snob. I like Scimeca's italian sauseeeeeege too. But my local Apple Market house italian sausage is pretty good and costs less. I'll use any spaghetti pasta, it's basically all about the same stuff. Like to have this with a Caesar salad and Texas Toast painted with garlic butter and a slice of mozzarella cheese across the top.

Spaghetti. Or ragu. Or whatever you wanna call it.

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