I am making my grandmother-in law's spaghetti tonight!! Mmm!

[soleil]

She's full Italian and came to the US when she was 5, but she learned how to cook from her mama. And let me just say it is some fine sketti. It isn't nearly as good as hers because she makes her own noodles, but it is close. I am waiting on her to share her tortelini recipe with me. I know it involves grinding up some pork, but I don't know the seasonings.

Anyway, yummy! What are you eating/cooking tonight?

[Chris_]

I had spaghetti at a co-worker's home a couple weeks ago.  It was your regular meat sauce and pasta, but his wife put jalapenos in the sauce, and it was excellent.

[soleil]

I had spaghetti at a co-worker's home a couple weeks ago.  It was your regular meat sauce and pasta, but his wife put jalapenos in the sauce, and it was excellent.

I do chop up some bell pepper to put in it, but now you got me thinking. Maybe I could use some of my banana peppers... Hmmm, just might try it.

[vesta111]

I do chop up some bell pepper to put in it, but now you got me thinking. Maybe I could use some of my banana peppers... Hmmm, just might try it.

French Canadian Sketti.

A couple of cans of stewed tomatoes added to  chopped fried hamburger, venison, moose, bear.  What ever meat is available.

Bell peppers with seeds, chopped onions, 4-5 mushed garlic cloves some chopped celery.

Cook on simmer until the veggies are soft.      Place in refridge for 24 hours, reheat and pour over cooked spaghetti or macaroni.

[Doc]

I do chop up some bell pepper to put in it, but now you got me thinking. Maybe I could use some of my banana peppers... Hmmm, just might try it.

I'm curious about something.......not just in this case, but with the bulk of the recipes that y'all  post....

What the heck is the fixation with peppers in everything?  We live in a "pepper free" zone, can't stand them in any form, except powdered from a shaker.......

In this case, no self respecting Italian, (north or south) would put any form of peppers (chopped, sliced, whole, or anything else) in a spaghetti sauce, particularly a marinara......it's sacrilege.........olives, maybe, but never peppers.......northern Italians don't generally even use tomatoes.

I have noticed this tendency creep into American cuisine over the past couple of decades, and have written it off to the illegal alien invasion changing our culture.........vis-a-vis the increased popularity of Mexican restaurants.

For someone who abhors peppers in all their forms, it is certainly not welcome......bleah.....

doc

[Eupher]

Doc, for years I actually thought that an "ancho" chili pepper was something derived from, yep, anchovies.

Now that I am enlightened, due to the illegal alien invasion, I still hate anchovies. But I don't think that's translated to the chili pepper yet.

 

[debk]

I don't use fresh peppers except in specific things and not at all in spaghetti sauce....any kind.

Green ones don't "go" in anything that's going to be cooked, except when making Italian sausage and peppers, because raw ones I like, and cooked ones hate me.    I don't eat them, but I maked stuffed ones for M. I will make up a bunch, and freeze them in pairs. Makes him happy through the winter.  :innocent:  I will also use them to make jelly and bread and butter pickles.

Red, yellow and orange usually go in salads, vegetable platters, or added with the green ones with the Italian sausage. I don't often add them in to foods that will be cooked either.

Any other ones, that I use, usually go in "Mexican-type" food.

I do buy lots of jellies, preserves, or marinades with them as an ingredient, that I use for lots of different things.

[Doc]

Doc, for years I actually thought that an "ancho" chili pepper was something derived from, yep, anchovies.

Now that I am enlightened, due to the illegal alien invasion, I still hate anchovies. But I don't think that's translated to the chili pepper yet.

 

I'm certainly not crazy about anchovies either, however, the pepper thing I can't figure out.  I have no problem with chili seasoning, cayenne pepper in Cajun dishes, etc., but raw or cooked chunks of peppers in anything makes me want to barf........

It's gotten to the point where I have to ASK before ordering something in a restaurant, and there are some chain restaurants like Appleby's where they put peppers in everything except a grilled cheese sandwich.........I suspect that there are too damn many Mexicans working in the kitchens.......

I consider most Mexican dishes to be "poverty food"......and have never figured out why some consider it haute' cuisine to eat stuff from some third-world shithole, where the average meal preparation budget is measured in pennies, and cats and dogs are endangered species.

doc

[IassaFTots]

I dunno.  I have always eaten lots of peppers.  When I was little, I went to school with my sandwich and carrot sticks and pepper strips.  Maybe it is a southern thing?  My Mom always has the holy trinity in her fridge, and so do I:  onions, celery, and peppers. 

I love peppers. 

[debk]

I dunno.  I have always eaten lots of peppers.  When I was little, I went to school with my sandwich and carrot sticks and pepper strips.  Maybe it is a southern thing?  My Mom always has the holy trinity in her fridge, and so do I:  onions, celery, and peppers. 

I love peppers. 

my holy trinity is onions, celery and mushrooms. 

[njpines]

I dunno.  I have always eaten lots of peppers.  When I was little, I went to school with my sandwich and carrot sticks and pepper strips.  Maybe it is a southern thing?  My Mom always has the holy trinity in her fridge, and so do I:  onions, celery, and peppers. 

I love peppers. 

It may be more of a generational thing than regional since I'm a damn Yankee  .  Growing up, my mom always gave me the job of chopping stuff up for the raw vegetable tray for dinner (in lieu of a salad).  The tray always consisted of carrot sticks, celery sticks, radishes and green pepper strips.  We grow bell peppers, banana peppers (the sweet kind) and chilis in our yard.  Love 'em!!

[IassaFTots]

It may be more of a generational thing than regional since I'm a damn Yankee  .  Growing up, my mom always gave me the job of chopping stuff up for the raw vegetable tray for dinner (in lieu of a salad).  The tray always consisted of carrot sticks, celery sticks, radishes and green pepper strips.  We grow bell peppers, banana peppers (the sweet kind) and chilis in our yard.  Love 'em!!

My Mom would chop up the vegetables and put them in a bowl of ice water in the fridge.  My job, was to scoop everything out of that frigid water.  I hated that. 

[soleil]

I'm curious about something.......not just in this case, but with the bulk of the recipes that y'all  post....

What the heck is the fixation with peppers in everything?  We live in a "pepper free" zone, can't stand them in any form, except powdered from a shaker.......

In this case, no self respecting Italian, (north or south) would put any form of peppers (chopped, sliced, whole, or anything else) in a spaghetti sauce, particularly a marinara......it's sacrilege.........olives, maybe, but never peppers.......northern Italians don't generally even use tomatoes.

I have noticed this tendency creep into American cuisine over the past couple of decades, and have written it off to the illegal alien invasion changing our culture.........vis-a-vis the increased popularity of Mexican restaurants.

For someone who abhors peppers in all their forms, it is certainly not welcome......bleah.....

doc

I'm not a huge pepper fan myself. But my husband wanted me to try it in it once, and he ended up liking it. His grandmother doesn't put bell peppers in hers, but I cook mine down, and they aren't really that strong.

[Eupher]

I don't use fresh peppers except in specific things and not at all in spaghetti sauce....any kind.

Green ones don't "go" in anything that's going to be cooked, except when making Italian sausage and peppers, because raw ones I like, and cooked ones hate me.    I don't eat them, but I maked stuffed ones for M. I will make up a bunch, and freeze them in pairs. Makes him happy through the winter.  :innocent:  I will also use them to make jelly and bread and butter pickles.

Red, yellow and orange usually go in salads, vegetable platters, or added with the green ones with the Italian sausage. I don't often add them in to foods that will be cooked either.

Any other ones, that I use, usually go in "Mexican-type" food.

I do buy lots of jellies, preserves, or marinades with them as an ingredient, that I use for lots of different things.

Deb, I'm with ya on the "no-peppers-in-marinara/meat-sauce". None of any sort - green, yellow, red, or 3rd world shithole black (great description, doc!  ).

But I like bell peppers, especially, and I'll cut up peppers for a salad in a heartbeat.

My parrots especially love the seeds - we'll give 'em the whole middle section and they go nuts, flinging seeds all over the place.

My breakfast skillet just ain't a breakfast skillet without some diced bell pepper. It ain't quite a trinity for me since I was trained more in the classic French style, but I like bell peppers in several dishes.

But spaghetti sauce ain't one of 'em. Get those damned things outta my kitchen, please. 

[Doc]

Deb, I'm with ya on the "no-peppers-in-marinara/meat-sauce". None of any sort - green, yellow, red, or 3rd world shithole black (great description, doc!  ).

Actually, that quip (true story) was an excerpt from a conversation that I had with my son the last time we visited he and his wife in DC.  It went like this:

SON:  "Dad, Jaye and I would like to take you guys out to our favorite Ethiopian restaurant tonight........."

ME:  "Son, as you well know, your mother and I have actually BEEN to Ethiopia, and we have no desire to roll back two thousand years of civilized dining development.  We have further never figured out why some consider it haute' cuisine to eat stuff from some third-world shithole, where the average meal preparation budget is measured in pennies, and cats and dogs are endangered species.  I'd much rather you take me out in the back yard and beat the crap out of me.

Don't y'all have a decent steak house, barbeque, or fried chicken joint in this town?"


After everyone finally stopped laughing.....we went to Ruth's Chris.......

doc

[/end threadjack]

[soleil]

Actually, that quip (true story) was an excerpt from a conversation that I had with my son the last time we visited he and his wife in DC.  It went like this:

SON:  "Dad, Jaye and I would like to take you guys out to our favorite Ethiopian restaurant tonight........."

ME:  "Son, as you well know, your mother and I have actually BEEN to Ethiopia, and we have no desire to roll back two thousand years of civilized dining development.  We have further never figured out why some consider it haute' cuisine to eat stuff from some third-world shithole, where the average meal preparation budget is measured in pennies, and cats and dogs are endangered species.  I'd much rather you take me out in the back yard and beat the crap out of me.

Don't y'all have a decent steak house, barbeque, or fried chicken joint in this town?"


After everyone finally stopped laughing.....we went to Ruth's Chris.......

doc

[/end threadjack]

I am not big on any ethnic food at all. I eat Mexican (or our version of Mexican) and Italian. That is about as far as I go. I will eat soooome Chinese, but not much. I certainly don't eat Thai, Indian, etc. Just don't go there. I hate the seasonings used.

[debk]

I am not big on any ethnic food at all. I eat Mexican (or our version of Mexican) and Italian. That is about as far as I go. I will eat soooome Chinese, but not much. I certainly don't eat Thai, Indian, etc. Just don't go there. I hate the seasonings used.

Thai is actually quite good, depending on what it is. If you like Chinese and Mexican, as Thai can be quite spicy, you might like some dishes. Most Thai menus, will tell you what's in a dish, and what it's seasoned with - garlic, hot red peppers, curry, etc.

I'm not a big fan of curry, saffron, or coconut, so Indian is not on my list of foods.  

[Carl]

When I make spaghetti I do 3 lbs at a time (only me here so will last a week or more).
Will get ground sweet Italian sausage and brown,sometimes green peppers and onions mixed in.
Pour in some tomato sauce and heavily season with garlic,basil,oregano and a little crushed red pepper,maybe some chili powder too.

The pasta is added to boiling water that has had a bit of olive oil poured in and a dash of salt.
When it is cooked to the texture I like it drain off the hot water through a colander.

I pour in lots of cold tomato sauce with intervals of mixing and then at the end the meat and sauce combination that has been simmering.

It is awesome.

[Madam Firecracker]

Mmmm.....Ruth's Chris!!! Sorry....just had to comment! It's my all time favorite place to eat.

And yes, I grew up eating peppers. Grandma had them, mom had them, I have them. I love bell pepper but find it that overpowers pretty much any dish you put it in so I use it sparingly. I do like spicy food and our holy trinity growing up included, Tabasco, onions, and Trappey's little green peppers and their juice.

http://www.bgfoods.com/trappeys/trappeys_products.asp

[soleil]

Thai is actually quite good, depending on what it is. If you like Chinese and Mexican, as Thai can be quite spicy, you might like some dishes. Most Thai menus, will tell you what's in a dish, and what it's seasoned with - garlic, hot red peppers, curry, etc.

I'm not a big fan of curry, saffron, or coconut, so Indian is not on my list of foods.  

If it has a hint of curry, I am out. Coconut is ok sometimes. I like it for desserts, but not a fan on shrimp and other things. Don't know a whole lot about saffron. I know it is pricey. That is about all I know. I don't like sweet and sour. I don't like teryiaki. I don't really like ginger. Dull, I know. I am trying to be more open with my foods. I like most things. But there are those funky seasonings that I just don't like. They are overpowering.

[soleil]

Mmmm.....Ruth's Chris!!! Sorry....just had to comment! It's my all time favorite place to eat.

And yes, I grew up eating peppers. Grandma had them, mom had them, I have them. I love bell pepper but find it that overpowers pretty much any dish you put it in so I use it sparingly. I do like spicy food and our holy trinity growing up included, Tabasco, onions, and Trappey's little green peppers and their juice.

http://www.bgfoods.com/trappeys/trappeys_products.asp

I use about a quarter bellpepper to go in a huge pot of sketti. I also cook it in olive oil first so it isn't crunchy in my sauce. It isn't overpowering, but you can definitely taste a difference with it in it and not. I used a red bellpepper once. HUGE mistake. It was awful. Ruined my spaghetti. But I am all about trying out stuff. VAriations... You can improve a good recipe or destroy it. It is always a risk.

[Madam Firecracker]

Yeah, I love experimenting in the kitchen. I have taken my mom's recipes (and now my MIL's) and tweaked them and I get rave reviews. 

[IassaFTots]

Uh.  The Tabasco and Trappeys don't even count as add ons.  They are assumed.     I have a hot sauce shelf in my fridge.  Nothing but hot sauces and peppers.  I am currently on a Tabasco Chipotle kick, but that is only because I CANNOT FIND ANY CRYSTAL HOT SAUCE HERE ANY MORE.  Down to my last bottle, from the last time I saw it.  Gol durn it. 

I also like curry, saffron, ginger, et. al.

But don't get me near lima beans or dark meat poultry.  Or poultry period. ew.   Love me some eggs tho!

[Mike220]

I am currently on a Tabasco Chipotle kick, but that is only because I CANNOT FIND ANY CRYSTAL HOT SAUCE HERE ANY MORE.  Down to my last bottle, from the last time I saw it.  Gol durn it. 

I think I've seen it around here. I'll keep an eye open.

[JLO]

my holy trinity is onions, celery and mushrooms. 

Mine is onions, celery and carrots.  Isn't it fun that we have three versions of a trinity?