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A lot of our food traditions and habits we learn from our parents at an early age. Take pasta sauce. I come from a large Italian family, so we had spaghetti every single week when I was growing up. My mom made her sauce (my dad's recipe, and I'm not exaggerating when I say it was award-winning) and when we put it on the pasta, we put a lot. Not enough so it gets all watery and the pasta is swimming, but certainly enough to cover the pasta out to the edge (more than the photo above).
Now here comes Mark Bittman at The New York Times who agrees with this approach. While most cookbooks will tell you to make a lot of pasta and just add a couple of ladels of sauce in the middle of the plate, Bittman suggests you turn the amounts around and make twice as much sauce as pasta. Mario Batali, in a video from Serious Eats after the jump, disagrees.
How do you sauce your pasta?
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10-25-2007 @11:48AM Nancy Ferraro said... Any Sicilian worth their salt knows you always make more sauce than pasta, that you never put oil in the water you boil the pasta in - only salt, and you always start everything you cook with garlic. You can boil more pasta when you need it. Properly made "gravy" as real Italians call it, takes time.
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10-25-2007 @11:51AM Jill said... So, wondering if you would share your dad's award winning recipe???
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10-25-2007 @12:03PM Tom Braun said... My philosphy is like with wine. Whatever turns you on. If you like little sauce, then use little sauce. If you lots of sauce, use lots of sauce.
With wine...don't pay attention to customs or prices. If you like it...that's all that counts.
KEEP LIFE SIMPLE...It's more fun that way !
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10-25-2007 @12:05PM rachael said... well this is with #14 Gobo's post ..... im from the east coast and i do the same thing throw tons of sauce spaghetti onto the garlic bread n eat it like a sandwich ..l but it all depends on who did the cooking ... my boyfriends mother is puerto rican n italian so her sauce is kinda watery n thick at the same time and just doesnt work out as a sandwich now when i cook ..... forget it its sandwich time and i make my own homemade garlic bread and i actually buy plain tomatoe sauce and mix in my own sauces being im only 22 and dont have the patience to really sit there and make sauce im more for the qwik easy meal but i will sit there and take my time with meat sauce very tasty.. but im a heavy saucer indeed if im cooking the meal and depends on how watery his mother makes the sauce that day .... but even in restuarants ill ask for extra sauce on the side so i can put it to my taste and ill ask for extra bread or garlic bread and make my favorite jersey spahgetti sandwiches and i kinda know what started the whole on bread thing kind of ... well at least for my age crowd... the colleges have trucks that we call grease trucks and its actually pretty interesti9ng some of the combos they make.,,, i had what was called a "fat b*tch" once and it was chicken fingers mozzarella sticks cheese fries and italian sausage all mixed on one hoagie roll .... but things like that are what makes me think why we all resort to sandwiching the spaghetti besides it bein easier and faster to eat and you get to taste it all and eat it all at once.... but i will admit im a heavy saucer n its much better that way i cant stand bland spaghetti
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10-25-2007 @12:10PM MONAP49 said... As an Italian - I say enjoy your pasta anyway you like it - I'm big on sauce - I actually prefer the sauce to the pasta itself. Some like cheese on top, some don't - whatever you enjoy - all we Italians care is that you eat and that you have ENOUGH to eat!! - Hey, you're looking a little skinny there!
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10-25-2007 @12:18PM jp said... Ah, the internet. Now everyone's an expert on every kind of regional/ethnic cooking. Why is anyone worried about how much or how little? Except from a health standpoint - you should prepare it as you please. All I can add is to put a little sauce on the bottom of the plate b4 adding the pasta & then more on top to keep it from sticking to the plate. But, you don't have to if you don't want to :-)
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10-25-2007 @12:14PM V_ger said... I'm a sauce eater. If I make a pot I can eat it right out of there with a loaf of Italian bread (SHAMELESS). I don't like a lot of meat in it, however.
The Italians eat pasta every day in Italy (with very little sauce), and with every meal!
Just give me a good pot of marinara and I'm happy. Keepa da pasta
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10-25-2007 @12:16PM Dennis Wilson said... In our home we like lots of sauce and this was the same with our parents as well. What I think is really good is to mix a couple laddels of sauce in with the pasta before plating it and then adding more sauce on top.
As for Mario Batali and his thoughts, take them with a spoon of pepto. I've tried his so called award winning food and quite frankly, I wouldn't feed it to a starving dog. Flavor is not his forte' and watching the video, he may come off as a historian of Italian cusine but he needs to check his spots and wear the ones that are what he wants to be.
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10-25-2007 @2:08PM JOAN LAGREGA said... WE LIKE MORE SAUCE ALSO AS WE USE PASTA AS A MAIN MEAL; ALSO WE PREFER THE RONZONI WHEAT PASTA, IT'S GREAT & WE'D NEVER GO PACK TO THE TRADITIONAL WHITE PASTA. TRY IT, "YOU'LL LIKE IT"... ALSO PREFER THE ORGANIC TOMATO SAUCES ... ADDING SLICED ZUCCINI, MUSHROOMS, GREEN BELL PEPPER, BLACK OLIVES ETC... MEATLESS MOST OF THE TIME! ENJOY, J
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10-25-2007 @12:32PM Vietriguy said... My grandfather who came from Vietri Sul Mare (near Salerno) would insist that his sauce would be cooked along with the pasta. He would have additional sauce on the side so sauce could be added if desired.
But never, would he eat pasta with sauce on the top of the pasta. He drilled this into all of his children and grandchildren, so we carry on the tradition.
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10-25-2007 @12:34PM Marc said... Ya right. I think he's an idoit. It's all about the sause.
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10-25-2007 @12:45PM Greg said... It depends on what type of pasta you use. with rotini, I like to mix the sauce and rotini and serve . with regular spagetti or angel hair pasta I also like lots of sauce on top. either way though, it's all GOOD!!!.
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10-25-2007 @12:54PM Joe Palen said... It is not how much but the ingredients that make the difference. Since my wife and I spent some time in Italy, she no longer buys pasta sauce in a jar (e.g. Newmans's), which is thick with sugar and tomato paste. She makes her own with fresh tomatoes, olive oil, and she will have to kill you if I tell you what else. It is delicious! And very much like that in Italy.
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10-25-2007 @12:57PM hardscrablannie said... Cooking and the eating of ANY food should be up to each person's personal style and taste.
I remember many years after I left home,and was visiting when my mother served spaghetti. I had to smile to myself, for compared to mine it was rather bland.She had never changed her recipe,I am the one that changed..
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10-25-2007 @1:07PM BlondiesNotebook said... Like some say on here, have it your way. I can appreciate what Batali was pointing out--the difference between the way they eat pasta in Italy and the way we eat pasta here in America. I just love the Italians, and I can appreciate the Italian style, have eaten some pasta that way, and it is good. However, I so much prefer our American style. So, that's what I'll call it: American STYLE pasta. Umm-umm good! I like plenty of sauce on my pizza, and my sauce is never, EVER runny.
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10-25-2007 @3:25PM Beth said... Isn't it wonderful that we can all have an opinion and for us that opinion is right? My best way of dressing my homemade spagetti is as soon as it is cooked to perfection I drain my noodles and add a couple of ladles of sauce. ( I think my mother called it dressing the spagetti.) It coats all the noodles individually. I then serve the rest of the sauce and meatballs in a bowl for everyone to add to their preference. Lots of fresh grated parmesan cheese.
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10-25-2007 @1:08PM Joyce said... To Frank Suchara: You got the right idea!! Pasta, sauce, nice crusty bread and wine, all the while listening to Sinatra or Prima or Pavarotti!!
That is heaven. Put as much sauce as you want on your pasta and enjoy. Im not even Italian.
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10-25-2007 @1:22PM Frank said... Who the hell cares what mark bittman thinks.
make it the way you like it, DUH.
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10-25-2007 @1:19PM Rose Marie said... Being a third generation Italian, I grew up with pasta served at all times. Depending on what it was made from, veggies, meat, fish etc. we chose the "right" pasta to accompany the dish. I remember holidays when the pasta was lost in the dish because the sauce was brimming off of it! The only reason I don't use that much sauce all the time is because I would have to eat a half of loaf of Italian crusty bread with it! I vote for the more sauce the better! Bon appetite to all!
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10-25-2007 @1:17PM PorterGal said... OK, this discussion is just too much! I must make some sauce right now. Anything from a can/jar just isn't worth eating, it has to be made from scratch.
Someone mentioned not liking pasta alone. I'm a pasta freak and can eat a huge bowl of it without any sauce as a snack or a quick meal. I add salt and olive oil to the water and eat it that way - actually, if I try to sneak and make this for a quick bite, my family always catches me and suddenly we're all sitting around eating a huge helping.
I'm off to the kitchen for the afternoon. Thanks to everyone who posted for the motivation!
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