"Curly Sue" > ha scritto nel messaggio
...
> On Wed, 21 Sep 2005 09:07:35 +0200, "Pandora" >
> wrote:
>
>>>>I think, instead, that the problem is only the kind of pasta. vermicelli
>>>>are
>>>>very thin (they cook in 1-2 minutes) and they aren't proper to be cooked
>>>>with an heavy cream mixed with pesto. Vermicelli, IMHO, should be
>>>>seasoned
>>>>only with a light tomatoes sauce : a lot of oil, some onions, tomatoes
>>>>and
>>>>oregano.
>>>>Cheers
>>>>Pandora
>>>
>>> "Heavy" cream here in the US is probably not so heavy as you imagine,
>>> especially as there was no cheese in the sauce. It would have been
>>> fine if the sauce hadn't disappeared.
>>
>>I don't understand! You have said you've mixed a pesto sauce with cream,
>>haven't you?
>
> I probably misunderstood your comment that "vermicelli... should be
> dressed only with a light tomato sauce." I thought that you were
> implying that the cream was too heavy for a thin pasta.

I don't know what is and how is an "heavy cream". Anyway, here in Italy,
they use to eat pesto without cream. Pesto contains oil and cheese inside.
Why add it cream?
>
> If that's not the case, what is your objection to vermicelli with
> pesto cream sauce?

The problem is the cream! Cream has the power to stick every kind pasta.
Is very difficult to use cream as seasoning for pasta. Cream must be a
little liquid: so it's better adding it some milk.
>
>>If you have done so, probably the cream was really too heavy. Have you
>>tried
>>to lengthen it with a little milk
>
> I didn't try milk because it started out rather thin. In fact I was
> initially worried that it was too soupy, but as it turned out, the
> pasta sucked up the sauce (as Vilco would say ;>)

It is normal that pasta sucks up the sauce. It isn't normal a pasta which
navigate in the crean soup
So I think that problem doesn't really exist, while exist the problem of the
overcooking of pasta IMHO.
Cheers
Pandora
>
>> and a little oil?
>
> There was plenty of oil from the pesto.
>
>>> You could be right that vermicelli won't work for this sauce; probably
>>> because the thinness provides relatively more surface area for sauce
>>> absorption.
>>
>>I Am convinced that Vermicelli aren't ok for this preparation, but try
>>with
>>the counsils I gave to you.
>
>>> I'll probably try one more time, with Barilla and possibly adding some
>>> of the cooking water as a last resort. If none of that works, I'll
>>> give up on this dream. Darn!
>>
>>Ok let me know!
>>Pandora
>>
> It seems to me that I've done this before with success, but not for a
> while. Perhaps I also *or instead) of changing pasta brands I need to
> change the brand of cream though I can't see how that would make a
> difference either. Or maybe adding the cheese as Libido suggests
> would do it.
> Sue(tm)
> Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!