Lasagna and carbonara recipes galore~trash-talking chefs~a pasta memory with Fanny Singer and her Mom, Alice Waters~another egg laid in the kitchen~Port wine and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Wow ~ so much to savor in this post, Wayne. Thank you for the kind mention. I was super suspicious about that modern take on spaghetti con le vongole, but it was SO good. The classic is also wonderful. Please, please do yourself the favor of making it with fresh clams in the shell. Most clams we get these days are farmed and have very little grit. It's worth the extra bit of labor to steam them open and use the fresh clam meat and their juices in your pasta. No comparison! On Bolognese: the best I ever had was my mom's ~ she made lasagne verde (with spinach noodles). I believe the Parma version is the one that uses plain (spinach-free) egg noodles. Here's an article I wrote about lasagne some years ago for the Washington Post that includes her recipe. It's similar to the one you posted, but a bit more decadent (if such a thing is possible): https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/real-lasagna-is-a-culinary-marvel-worth-every-minute-of-your-time/2017/12/22/5fb12de2-e50b-11e7-833f-155031558ff4_story.html
Wow ~ so much to savor in this post, Wayne. Thank you for the kind mention. I was super suspicious about that modern take on spaghetti con le vongole, but it was SO good. The classic is also wonderful. Please, please do yourself the favor of making it with fresh clams in the shell. Most clams we get these days are farmed and have very little grit. It's worth the extra bit of labor to steam them open and use the fresh clam meat and their juices in your pasta. No comparison! On Bolognese: the best I ever had was my mom's ~ she made lasagne verde (with spinach noodles). I believe the Parma version is the one that uses plain (spinach-free) egg noodles. Here's an article I wrote about lasagne some years ago for the Washington Post that includes her recipe. It's similar to the one you posted, but a bit more decadent (if such a thing is possible): https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/real-lasagna-is-a-culinary-marvel-worth-every-minute-of-your-time/2017/12/22/5fb12de2-e50b-11e7-833f-155031558ff4_story.html
Everything sounds delish. Guess it must be lasagna season as my cousin texted me the link to a recipe for white mushroom lasagna yesterday.
My condolences on the loss of your ceramic Staub oval baking dish. And thank you for all the internet archeology work! :)
It's good that these emails arrive in the morning, because otherwise I might be tempted to lick my phone.