In article >,
sf > wrote:

> 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.

Your mistake- Barilla cooks faster and flabbier. (I do buy Barilla when
it's on slale/; it's not a bad buy for the money.)