Comparing amounts of parmesan and sauces in Italian style dishes

Regarding pasta sauces, then I probably use far less than most US recipes. But that isn't so much to foreground the pasta. I like the sauce to coat the individual pasta shapes and not have a load of additional sauce left at the bottom of the bowl. But it does depend on the dish. For example, traditionally, macaroni cheese in the UK, is not the US style 'semi set' baked dish (although that seems to be changing). It has (or used to have) a much more free flowing sauce, often cooked on the hob. I don't think macaroni cheese exists in Italy, though!
 
Morning Glory said:
Regarding pasta sauces, then I probably use far less than most US recipes. But that isn't so much to foreground the pasta. I like the sauce to coat the individual pasta shapes and not have a load of additional sauce left at the bottom of the bowl. But it does depend on the dish.
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The cheese makes an excellent binder for the excess sauce!
Morning Glory said:
Traditionally, macaroni cheese, for example, is not the US style 'semi set' baked dish (although that may be changing). It has a much more free flowing sauce and is often cooked on the hob. I don't think that dish exists in Italy, though!
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Most people in the US make macaroni and cheese on the stove top as well. We (in my house) like it baked but I'd bet the majority in the US do some awful boxed stovetop version. And yeah, it probably isn't a thing in Italy.
 
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I'm not a "drown-it-all-in-sauce" bloke either. I want a balance between the pasta and the sauce, and that's probably why I like aglio e olio, cacio e pepe, carbonara, pesto, con le vongole, etc., simple sauces or additions which complement the pasta itself.
I also avoid "double-cheese" pizzas - I don't see the point - and those pizzas which have more than 3-4 ingredients.
 
karadekoolaid said:
I'm not a "drown-it-all-in-sauce" bloke either. I want a balance between the pasta and the sauce, and that's probably why I like aglio e olio, cacio e pepe, carbonara, pesto, con le vongole, etc., simple sauces or additions which complement the pasta itself.
I also avoid "double-cheese" pizzas - I don't see the point - and those pizzas which have more than 3-4 ingredients.
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This is one of our favorite pizzas. We add chicken breast pieces.
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I'd skip the feta, but wouldn't mind the rest.

Craig is a heavy sauce, heavier cheese kind of person on pasta. I prefer just enough to lightly coat and very little to no sauce left in bottom, same with cheese. I do love ParmR and pecorino romano though, making fricos instead of croutons at times, and I love Alfredo made with just butter, heavy cream and ParmR. I prefer pizza Margherita with just some garlic EVOO brushed on thin crust, thinly sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and fresh basil. The only time I order extra cheese out is when neither of us wants to cook or go out even just to pick up and we order Papa John's delivery when I'll get a thin crust, extra cheese pepperoni.
 
I do want to add that any of the places weā€™re talking about, I think the populations are too large to draw any meaningful conclusions regarding preferences - Iā€™m sure there are Brits who like enough sauce to drink, Iā€™m sure there are US folks who donā€™t like it at all.

Even within my family, thereā€™s much diversity. I love sauce and a fair amount of cheese, MrsT is no sauce, lots of cheese, my sister is little sauce, little cheese, and my dad wonā€™t touch any of it with a 10-foot fork. He hates Parmesan (ā€œSmells like someone šŸ’© in the oven!ā€).
 
I suppose you are right TastyReuben :)
For me it depends.
Thin crust (sourdough) pizza : minimal toppings, otherwise th pizza just does not come out right
Home made pasta: not too much sauce as the pasta is the star
Bought pasta: lots of sauce
Deep dish pizza: obviously lots of stuff as otherwise I would have had a napolitana :)
 
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My DH use to be in the "heavy on the red sauce" camp, but I've converted him.
He'd like his marinara thick and plentiful on his store bought pasta.
And I agree with badjak about that point.
If I make pasta from scratch, it's very minimally dressed in a lighter sauce. If I do use tomato based, I add a goodly amount of pasta water and only use enough to barely coat the pasta. Also, we like as karadekoolaid mentioned above: "aglio e olio, cacio e pepe, carbonara, pesto, con le vongole, etc., simple sauces or additions which complement the pasta itself."
For the cheese, I go a bit heavy with the grated hard cheese, such as Parmesan or Grana Padano, DH doesn't care for Pecorino.
 
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