RECIPE: Rec: $4 Spaghetti That's Almost As Good As $24 Spaghetti. When I saw this, I happened to have 4 oz

RECIPE:
C

curious1

Well-known member
of white mushrooms that were going over the hill so how could I resist? I weighed the garlic cloves, winced at the amount of olive oil and used Muir Glen tomatoes that weren't labeled Italian.

After using the immersion blender, it kind of resembled cheap canned tomato soup, but tasted delicious. I made the entire recipe because cooking garlic in my smallest saucepan in just one third cup of olive oil would have been difficult to do. It makes a lot! After saucing 8 oz of pasta liberally, I have a quart left.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/4-dollar-spaghetti-thats-almost-as-good-as-24-dollar-spaghetti

 
It'll be nice to pull that leftover sauce out of the freezer on a night when you

want a quick dinner with minimal fuss. Thanks for the recipe, will be trying it soon.

 
This is curious, Curious! No onion, all that garlic....But on your recommendation I want to try it.

 
Looks like a winner! For many years, I refused to order pasta

at a restaurant because of the exorbitant price they charge. Think about it. How much does a bit of pasta cost? I know that they markup pasta dishes by 500% or more by adding a spartan amount of shrimp/sauce/herbs, etc. and give it a fancy name.

That's why I've always ordered fish, poultry, or meat to get more bang for my buck.

Your recipe proves my point!

 
I read an interview with a restaurant owner several years back about this very topic...

the interviewer asked how they could justify charging so much for pasta dishes when the ingredients cost nowhere near the ingredients of meat based entrees. The answer was basically, if we priced it accordingly, it would be out of kilter with the prices of the rest of the items. Many people would order the $6 pasta plate and we'd soon be out of business.

 
Pasta at Babbo, for example, runs $18-$20. $13-$19 at Eataly. (Most I've paid is $14, I think.)

And that was for a terrific Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe at Eataly on a cold day, and it was worth it.

But $24 is just for hedge-fund dudes.

 
Heads up: I'm making this now and two firm garlic bulbs is almost 3/4 C.

No need to cut up 4 heads (which I would have done--and THEN measured--if I hadn't only had two bulbs.)

 
Moi aussi. In the early 90s, our fave restaurant in the Caribbean was Italian, did great pasta but

with the value of the dollar there, we were paying over $30 a plate, back in 1990. With a little effort, anyone can make almost as good at home and I just could not justify these meals any longer. We knew the owner and chef well and felt bad about not continuing to patronize frequently.

The restaurant then decided to learn to make good fish, as so many customers agreed with the cost of pasta dishes. It became known for its fish entrees with a side of pasta.

And I learned to love fish.

 
well, I screwed it up but the result is still good. I read the

recipe as two 28-oz pureed tomatoes, instead of two 28-oz cans of tomatoes, that are then pureed.

So I used large cans of crushed tomatoes and the end result was too tomato-y. However, we saved it by adding some cabernet to thin.

A sample of the reduced mushroom broth tasted beefy to me, but Larry didn't like it.

We had it with strozzapreti pasta. Larry had the leftovers today and enjoyed it just as much.

There's at least a quart of sauce left.

(edited to add: In the finished sauce, there is no garlic flavor to my tastebuds...which is kindof good, because I was concerned that quantity might overwhelm the sauce. By the end of 30 minutes oil-simmer, the cloves are golden and soft and puree instantly. Again this comment must be viewed with the fact that I used too heavy of a tomato base.)

 
There's a labor factor too. A good pasta sauce takes time and care to produce.

A good steak only takes care.

 
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