On Sat, 12 Dec 2009 08:50:32 -0500, "Jean B." > wrote:

>Don Martinich wrote:
>> In article >,
>> "Jean B." > wrote:
>>
>>> Giusi wrote:
>>>> "Jean B." > ha scritto nel messaggio
>>>> ...
>>>>> My daughter and I ate in Boston yesterday. My entree was a lovely pasta
>>>>> dish with lots of roasted veggies. The pasta had a really nice chewy
>>>>> texture--this was not just a normal (in the US) pasta cooked al dente. Is
>>>>> this texture typical of some brands? Any clue as to what it might be, so
>>>>> I can enjoy this at home?
>>>>> --
>>>>> Jean B.
>>>> Just bite your pasta a minute or so before the cooking time says. It may
>>>> be
>>>> what you are looking for. Look for a microscopic line or dot of white in
>>>> the center. That's real al dente. Many people are pleasantly shocked when
>>>> they find out what it really is, and many hate it.
>>>>
>>>> If making it at home, use hard wheat flour to get a firmer bite, and
>>>> stretch
>>>> as you knead instead of pressing.
>>>>
>>>>
>>> No, that's not what I am looking for. As I said, this was not
>>> like al dente pasta. I think the last part may be more relevant.
>>>
>>> Are some brands of pasta chewier than others? The brands from
>>> Italy are proliferating here, and I have not tried many in recent
>>> years.
>>
>> Look for De Cecco.
>>
>> D.
>
>I was thinking about that brand. The ears (I forget the Italian
>name) do, indeed, have a different texture. I figured that was
>because they were relatively thick. I'll try another shape!

Barilla is good too and I see it more often than DeCecco where I shop.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.