The perfect pasta is a mystery to me #2 - pasta abominations

[Gori the Grey]

And don't tell me to just use my noodle.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Garlic is good for your health, surely, but how much can anyone consume per day, even if they love the stuff or fear that count Dracula is out to get them?

Also, some people really hate the thing, like other people eat meat but hate liver.

I like garlic. I really like Old Dutch Onion & Garlic chips.

And once upon a time when my dad did odd jobs for a friend who owned a Greek restaurant, he agreed to peel an appalling number of bags of garlic cloves. It was dozens, so he asked if I'd help. I agreed, and I realized my dad was not up on pop culture in the horror/goth genre when I made a comment that "At least we don't have to worry about vampires" and he had no idea what I was talking about.

Never mind breath. My hands reeked of garlic, even after multiple washings.

 

[Takhisis]

Never mind breath. My hands reeked of garlic, even after multiple washings.

Did you have long nails at the time? Garlic can really dig in under your nails.

 

[Sofista]

Just so that people know, today is world pasta day.

I celebrated like all the faithful.

The one clove of garlic split between pasta for three or four people doesn't change people's breath, in my experience.

Well, one clove for four people is really, really little.
My intent with my recipe was to improve Kyr's pasta experiments; I went for a single dose. Imagine using onion instead of garlic: you would surely use more for an entire family instead of the quantity you'd use for yourself only.



My mum called on the phone: I'm visiting tomorrow, and apparently she decided to make me Bolognese ragù. She's a lifelong vegetarian! May His Noodly Appendage watch over me!

 

[The_J]

Has this become a serial thread?

If so, obligatory rant at lousy subtitle.

No, not really a serial thread. I've cut both out of the many-questions thread, and this just seemed appropriate.
Authors can rename their threads in Xenforo btw, so Kyr doesn't have to keep the title.

 

[warpus]

Does anybody ever use carb substitutes for their noodles for any pasta dish? I don't mind cutting down on carbs (and usually try to), but what would be a good substitute?

The last similar sort of dish I ate was a stirfry that used cauliflower as a substitute for rice. At first I thought "There's no way that's going to work", but it was actually pretty damn good! The texture was close enough and the flavours from the rest of the dish took over as well, so it basically almost tasted like a regular stirfy.

I think I tried a pasta recipe once that used thinly sliced squash or something like that? It didn't really work very well and I never tried it again. Are there any other substitutes that might work though, for pasta that is?

I also dont' mind consuming more vegetables, so veggies replacing carbs is always a win in my books

 

[Synobun]

Does anybody ever use carb substitutes for their noodles for any pasta dish? I don't mind cutting down on carbs (and usually try to), but what would be a good substitute?

The last similar sort of dish I ate was a stirfry that used cauliflower as a substitute for rice. At first I thought "There's no way that's going to work", but it was actually pretty damn good! The texture was close enough and the flavours from the rest of the dish took over as well, so it basically almost tasted like a regular stirfy.

I think I tried a pasta recipe once that used thinly sliced squash or something like that? It didn't really work very well and I never tried it again. Are there any other substitutes that might work though, for pasta that is?

I also dont' mind consuming more vegetables, so veggies replacing carbs is always a win in my books

Riced cauliflower is good. For pasta consistency, you could try zucchini.

 

[warpus]

Hmmmmm I have seen such a recipe in the catalog I use to select my recipes! Totally forgot about it. Might check it out if it pops up again. I used to not be a big fan of zucchini, but have tried it a number of dishes and got used to it.

 

[Sofista]

I'm looking at your signature, warpus, and wondering why you'd ever worry about burning calories.

 

[warpus]

It's not really the burning calories part, but moreso that when I eat carbs I feel.. bloated. vs eating veggies. Yeah, there is the weight gain part - the best way I've figured out to lose weight is to cut out carbs & sugars. There's also a high blood pressure element, meaning I've been trying to eat healthier. So a whole bunch of reasons I guess

I have also not done any hiking in 2 years. I'm a hermit and that's probably not good for my health. My weight is fine right now, but I'm just not active at all. I figure eating more veggies and less carbs can't hurt in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Did you have long nails at the time? Garlic can really dig in under your nails.

Nope. I haven't had long nails since I was 13, and realized that long nails were getting in the way of both playing the organ and typing (people who have never used manual or electric typewriters have no idea how painful it is to get your fingertips caught in the keys when trying to untangle a jam, and it hurts even more with long fingernails).

I was just handling a lot of bags a day, over a period of several hours. It was slow, finicky work - at least for me, as I wasn't used to handling anything like garlic. There are a LOT of cloves per bag, and after days of this, I just couldn't get the garlic smell off my hands.

The last similar sort of dish I ate was a stirfry that used cauliflower as a substitute for rice. At first I thought "There's no way that's going to work", but it was actually pretty damn good! The texture was close enough and the flavours from the rest of the dish took over as well, so it basically almost tasted like a regular stirfy.

Cauliflower is only food if it's pickled. Otherwise, it's not food.

 

[warpus]

I've never had or seen that pickled. I am trying to imagine what that would taste like. Is it pickled with vinegar and similar spices you'd expect w/ pickles?

 

[Sofista]

Brassica est quae omnibus holeribus antistat. Eam esto vel coctam vel crudam. Crudam si edes, in acetum intinguito. [...] Si voles in convivio multum bibere cenareque libenter, ante cenam esto crudam quantum voles ex aceto, et item, ubi cenaveris, comesto aliqua V folia; reddet te quasi nihil ederis, bibesque quantum voles.

'Cauliflower [/cabbage] is the best of all vegetables. You can eat et both cooked or raw. If you eat it raw, soak it in vinegar. [...] If at a banquet you wish to drink a lot and enjoy your meal, before the dinner, eat it as much as you want seasoned in vinegar, and then, after eating, eat about five leaves; it will make you feel as if you barely ate a thing, and you can drink as much as you want' - Cato the Elder, De agri cultura, chapter 156.

 

[Samson]

Ah, those were the days when the great and the good could write about being able to drink as much as you want as though that is an unqualified good.

 

[Farm Boy]

You should have seen Saturday. It was very good. Sunday was a bit steady as she goes.

 

[Ferocitus]

I'm shocked that a university student is such a pasta ignoramus!

From the acknowledgements section of my PhD thesis...
My family and soulmates have been more than supportive over the last few years. I don’t know if I can
ever repay them for their good humour, and their constant supply of entertainment and spaghetti bolognaise.

 

[Takhisis]

Nope. I haven't had long nails since I was 13, and realized that long nails were getting in the way of both playing the organ and typing (people who have never used manual or electric typewriters have no idea how painful it is to get your fingertips caught in the keys when trying to untangle a jam, and it hurts even more with long fingernails).

I was just handling a lot of bags a day, over a period of several hours. It was slow, finicky work - at least for me, as I wasn't used to handling anything like garlic. There are a LOT of cloves per bag, and after days of this, I just couldn't get the garlic smell off my hands.

Even if it's ‘short’ nails i.e. protruding a couple of millimetres, that usually is enough.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Even if it's ‘short’ nails i.e. protruding a couple of millimetres, that usually is enough.

If I were to hold out my hands to you, palm out, you could not tell I had any fingernails at all. I keep them as short as possible, and trim often. People have looked at me as though this is something weird and made comments about nail polish... but since I'm allergic to it (the fumes make me physically ill), it's not something that will ever persuade me.