Snoopy
Footballguy
Oh oh, Now made by Campbell's.
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The 50+ Best Noodles: #5 Carbonara, #4 Japchae, #3 Lasagna, #2 Bolognese, #1 Soba (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter Eephus
- Start date
rockaction
Footballguy
rockaction
Footballguy
Take your cheese criticism to Lambskin's thread, Pally.
Eephus
Footballguy
I'm doing my part to engage with the youths and keep this board eternal
rockaction
Footballguy
Nice. I'm with that.
Best of luck with the noodle countdown. Love it. Will read and refrain in general (my palette is more of a product of a gut-filling environment than a gastronomical one).
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Eephus
Footballguy
#50 - Tortellini Salad
Origin: The deli case
Tortellini salad is a mainstay/scourge of catered lunches for business meetings everywhere. The noodles are served cold (which is seldom a good thing for noodles) along with olives, artichoke hearts, beans and other non-perishable vegetables. The tortellini itself tends to get lost among the veggies and the dressing. There's some pasta texture shining through but not much else; the tortellini's filling might as well have stayed in the pot for all the flavor it adds to the salad.
I did my rankings before the write-ups (which I'm doing as I go) and in retrospect I ranked tortellini salad too high. I can't think of positive things to say about tortellini salad compared to some of the >50 entries from yesterday. Enjoy your lunch, I'll just take a bag of chips.
Origin: The deli case
Tortellini salad is a mainstay/scourge of catered lunches for business meetings everywhere. The noodles are served cold (which is seldom a good thing for noodles) along with olives, artichoke hearts, beans and other non-perishable vegetables. The tortellini itself tends to get lost among the veggies and the dressing. There's some pasta texture shining through but not much else; the tortellini's filling might as well have stayed in the pot for all the flavor it adds to the salad.
I did my rankings before the write-ups (which I'm doing as I go) and in retrospect I ranked tortellini salad too high. I can't think of positive things to say about tortellini salad compared to some of the >50 entries from yesterday. Enjoy your lunch, I'll just take a bag of chips.
Eephus
Footballguy
#49 - Jjajangmyeon
Origin: Korea and China
Korean wheat noodles topped with a sauce of Korean black bean paste (chunjang), pork and vegetables and garnished with julienned cucumber. The Chunjang paste has an interesting taste that's heavy on savory and umami with just a hint of sweetness. Its not as salty and pungent as Sichuan black bean sauce but the bean flavor still dominates the dish which makes jjajangmyeon a little too one-note to rank much higher.
You could make this with any type of long noodles but I like the chewy texture of the Korean wheat flour noodles. I've made the dish three times to use up a jar of chunjang I bought, once with pork belly and the other times with leftover pork shoulder. I'll probably make it again when I restock my pantry with more chunjang. I like the ingredient better as an accent to stir-frys than it as the central character of jjajangmyeon.
en.wikipedia.org
Origin: Korea and China
Korean wheat noodles topped with a sauce of Korean black bean paste (chunjang), pork and vegetables and garnished with julienned cucumber. The Chunjang paste has an interesting taste that's heavy on savory and umami with just a hint of sweetness. Its not as salty and pungent as Sichuan black bean sauce but the bean flavor still dominates the dish which makes jjajangmyeon a little too one-note to rank much higher.
You could make this with any type of long noodles but I like the chewy texture of the Korean wheat flour noodles. I've made the dish three times to use up a jar of chunjang I bought, once with pork belly and the other times with leftover pork shoulder. I'll probably make it again when I restock my pantry with more chunjang. I like the ingredient better as an accent to stir-frys than it as the central character of jjajangmyeon.
Jajangmyeon - Wikipedia
Eephus
Footballguy
#48 - Pasta Primavera
Origin: Nova Scotia surprisingly
Primavera is pasta served with al dente cooked vegetables with a light cream sauce. It's a creation of the 70s when it first appeared on the menu of New York's La Cirque restaurant. The restaurant owner and chef first prepared the dish a couple years earlier when they cooked what was on hand during a summer vacation. I'm skeptical that pasta and vegetables weren't served together before 1977 but we'll stick with the legend. Primavera was wildly successful and revolutionary in its time roughly coinciding with the la Nouvelle Cuisine in France and Chez Panisse in Berkeley.
I'm sure La Cirque's version was magnificent but in the decades since Primavera has fallen into disrepute often appearing as the sole vegetarian entree on an Italian restaurant menu. That's the version I'm ranking at #48; it has too much squash and cherry tomatoes and has been sitting under a heat lamp while the table's secondi are finished.
This video recreates the original La Cirque recipe. There's some prep involved but doesn't look particularly difficult technically. The magic comes from perfectly cooking all the different vegetables. The original used fettuccine but I would probably opt for a noodle like farfalle or radiatori with shapes similar in size to the pieces of vegetable.
Origin: Nova Scotia surprisingly
Primavera is pasta served with al dente cooked vegetables with a light cream sauce. It's a creation of the 70s when it first appeared on the menu of New York's La Cirque restaurant. The restaurant owner and chef first prepared the dish a couple years earlier when they cooked what was on hand during a summer vacation. I'm skeptical that pasta and vegetables weren't served together before 1977 but we'll stick with the legend. Primavera was wildly successful and revolutionary in its time roughly coinciding with the la Nouvelle Cuisine in France and Chez Panisse in Berkeley.
I'm sure La Cirque's version was magnificent but in the decades since Primavera has fallen into disrepute often appearing as the sole vegetarian entree on an Italian restaurant menu. That's the version I'm ranking at #48; it has too much squash and cherry tomatoes and has been sitting under a heat lamp while the table's secondi are finished.
This video recreates the original La Cirque recipe. There's some prep involved but doesn't look particularly difficult technically. The magic comes from perfectly cooking all the different vegetables. The original used fettuccine but I would probably opt for a noodle like farfalle or radiatori with shapes similar in size to the pieces of vegetable.
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Dennis Castro
Footballguy
Eephus
Footballguy
#47 - Haluski
Origin: Mitteleuropa
Haluski is humble concoction of egg noodles(or dumplings), butter and cabbage. I can attest it is comforting but its flavors are very simple and subtle which makes it better suited as a side dish. But the countdown didn't have a lot of representation from Central and Eastern Europe so I ignored the mains not apps rule and not for the last time. Haluski is also apparently a specialty of the Lenten season so now is a good time to give it a try.
The sauteed cabbage adds texture and a touch of sweetness but there's not much you can do to elevate haluski; it's just noodles and cabbage (and onion if you're feeling a bit mad).
Origin: Mitteleuropa
Haluski is humble concoction of egg noodles(or dumplings), butter and cabbage. I can attest it is comforting but its flavors are very simple and subtle which makes it better suited as a side dish. But the countdown didn't have a lot of representation from Central and Eastern Europe so I ignored the mains not apps rule and not for the last time. Haluski is also apparently a specialty of the Lenten season so now is a good time to give it a try.
The sauteed cabbage adds texture and a touch of sweetness but there's not much you can do to elevate haluski; it's just noodles and cabbage (and onion if you're feeling a bit mad).
Spartans Rule
Footballguy
My wife ordered this the last time we went out for Korean. I tried some and agree it was pretty one-note. Mostly I'm just excited to recognize something called jjajangmyeon. There was a time I could've checked out of the thread after Boyardee but my knowledge of noodles, especially Asian varieties, has increased exponentially the last 5-10 years.
Eephus
Footballguy
Dijon ketchup, mm, mm
Drunken knight
Footballguy
yeah- pierogi, piroshkie, manti.. all more dumpling than noodle
Chaos34
Footballguy
Cowboysfan8
Footballguy
My wife goes nuts for this stuff
Eephus
Footballguy
Jja-jang we have a winner
Eephus
Footballguy
It's basically buttered noodles with some cabbage. I'm sure it would be much better with homemade potato dumplings instead of egg noodles.
BobbyLayne
Footballguy
#49 - Jjajangmyeon
Origin: Korea and China
Korean wheat noodles topped with a sauce of Korean black bean paste (chunjang), pork and vegetables and garnished with julienned cucumber. The Chunjang paste has an interesting taste that's heavy on savory and umami with just a hint of sweetness. Its not as salty and pungent as Sichuan black bean sauce but the bean flavor still dominates the dish which makes jjajangmyeon a little too one-note to rank much higher.
You could make this with any type of long noodles but I like the chewy texture of the Korean wheat flour noodles. I've made the dish three times to use up a jar of chunjang I bought, once with pork belly and the other times with leftover pork shoulder. I'll probably make it again when I restock my pantry with more chunjang. I like the ingredient better as an accent to stir-frys than it as the central character of jjajangmyeon.
Jajangmyeon - Wikipedia
One of wifey’s staples, love this
Tonight we’re having spicy drunken noodles
Leroy Hoard
Footballguy
I've had some bad versions of this but I've also had a couple good ones. Way back when Boston Market/ Boston Chicken was still alive near me I remember getting it and cornbread as my favorite sides.
Ministry of Pain
Footballguy
De Cecco Bucatini w/Rao's sauce, pick your fav, lately it's been Vodka Arribbiata, has some nice spice to it
Best noodle dish you can make quickly
Best noodle dish you can make quickly
Scoresman
Footballguy
Quickest, yes, but to me its worth it to fire up a really quick marinara like Macella Hazan's, over the jarred sauce.
Eephus
Footballguy
These all suck so far.
I thought Primavera might have a defender or two
Eephus
Footballguy
I think I titled this one wrong. It would have been better if I called it Primi Not Secondi instead. The intent isn't to keep out noodle plates that are more like side starches e.g. haluski but rather to exclude the mostly meat dishes that are served with the pasta.
It probably doesn't matter because nobody reads my posts.
Eephus
Footballguy
I'm setting the O/U for number of times Scoresman uses the
emoji at 5.I can tell we have some differences which are more about taxonomy and philosophy than about noodles.
Eephus
Footballguy
#46 - Buldak Noodles
Origin: Korea and YouTube
Time for another bone to throw at Gen Z. From the opposite end of the flavor spectrum of haluski comes Buldak noodles, a Korean brand of instant noodles famous for their extreme spice levels. They're the noodles used for the Korean fire noodle challenge which went viral on YouTube almost ten years ago and is apparently still a thing. I don't get the entertainment value of watching strangers on the Internet filming themselves tearing up and turning red but I don't get a lot of things.
I've eaten several packs of Buldak noodles with both the regular hot chicken (4000 Scoville) and Carbonara (2600 Scoville) flavors. I drained the noodles and used the full spice packet and lived to tell. They're pretty tasty but the heat goes beyond a reasonable level for me, especially for a brick of instant noodles. The dominant flavor is fire although there's a hint of savoriness you can taste before your tongue shrivels up and dies. The best way I've eaten them is the Carbonara with a splash of whipping cream or a slice of American cheese added to increase the creaminess and cut the spice a little.
Origin: Korea and YouTube
Time for another bone to throw at Gen Z. From the opposite end of the flavor spectrum of haluski comes Buldak noodles, a Korean brand of instant noodles famous for their extreme spice levels. They're the noodles used for the Korean fire noodle challenge which went viral on YouTube almost ten years ago and is apparently still a thing. I don't get the entertainment value of watching strangers on the Internet filming themselves tearing up and turning red but I don't get a lot of things.
I've eaten several packs of Buldak noodles with both the regular hot chicken (4000 Scoville) and Carbonara (2600 Scoville) flavors. I drained the noodles and used the full spice packet and lived to tell. They're pretty tasty but the heat goes beyond a reasonable level for me, especially for a brick of instant noodles. The dominant flavor is fire although there's a hint of savoriness you can taste before your tongue shrivels up and dies. The best way I've eaten them is the Carbonara with a splash of whipping cream or a slice of American cheese added to increase the creaminess and cut the spice a little.
Scoresman
Footballguy
I'm setting the O/U for number of times Scoresman uses the
I can tell we have some differences which are more about taxonomy and philosophy than about noodles.
Nah, its going alright so far. I did have one objection being that I can definitely find 56 noodle dishes better than canned pasta, but that's minor. It's the American Cheese equivalent for this countdown and at least you had it at the back end and not number 1!
Agree that taxonomy will probably be where we disagree mostly.
Scoresman
Footballguy
I've always heard that using cream in a pasta dish is a big no-no for authenticity's sake, but it does taste good in some applications. I haven't had actual primavera. It looks decent enough.
Eephus
Footballguy
The original Sirio Maccione recipe calls for 1/2 cup of heavy cream per pound of pasta to bind things together with the parmesan. It also has a 1/4 cup of butter.
Dan Lambskin
Footballguy
Withholding judgment for now but im leaning towards being overly critical Lambskin in this one
Spartans Rule
Footballguy
I have never had Buldak, but I did have an experience with absurdly spicy noodles at a ramen place in Chicago called Strings.
There's a menu item called Hell Ramen, with 5 different levels. A friend ordered level 3, and I like some heat so I decided to try level 2. Bad idea. Level 2 of hell is still hell. I had to pour a bunch of someone's non-hell broth into mine to make it palatable. My braver friend said he regrettably tried level 4 once, and curious staff kept popping their heads out of the kitchen to watch him suffer. Level 5 requires signing a waiver.
There's a menu item called Hell Ramen, with 5 different levels. A friend ordered level 3, and I like some heat so I decided to try level 2. Bad idea. Level 2 of hell is still hell. I had to pour a bunch of someone's non-hell broth into mine to make it palatable. My braver friend said he regrettably tried level 4 once, and curious staff kept popping their heads out of the kitchen to watch him suffer. Level 5 requires signing a waiver.
TheAristocrat
Footballguy
I love the FFA
Leroy Hoard
Footballguy
Since there is no longer a political forum to distract people, now the logical thing to argue about is noodles.
Dan Lambskin
Footballguy
I did the 2X Buldak once it was underwhelming
CletiusMaximus
Footballguy
I love the Buldak 2x spicy and buy it in bulk on Amazon to have at work (adding an egg and some veg I bring from home). The spice level is right at my limit and I love the flavor, but its not like the deep rich heat flavor you get in a good Korean restaurant, not nearly as good. The heat all comes from the spice packet and is more of a chemical flavor for lack of a better word, as opposed to a good spicy hot broth that comes from fresh or dried peppers.
Dan Lambskin
Footballguy
Do the raviolis count here? I always liked those as a kid but probably haven’t eaten in 35 years
Eephus
Footballguy
The noodles become almost an afterthought among all the heat.
Drunken knight
Footballguy
Eephus
Footballguy
What makes it so special?
Most every dish in this countdown has a wide range of possibilities. A top ten dish poorly executed wouldn't be as good as the Primavera from La Cirque.
Chaos34
Footballguy
I've been a little busy but remembered you were offering a use for my stack of American slices today so I came to check it out. This is just gross. Where's Eephus and what have you done with him?
bigbottom
Footballguy
I’ve never met a noodle dish too spicy for me, but Buldak comes pretty close. I like the flavor, but ultimately it’s not that enjoyable due to the extreme spice.
Eephus
Footballguy
Korean cuisine has some interesting recipes using American cheese because the country has been occupied by US soldiers for 70 years. Budae Jigae or Korean Army stew is a dolsot full of a fiery broth loaded with gochujang, kimchi, mushrooms and whatever proteins you can scrounge up. Spam, hot dogs, tofu, pork sausages and canned tuna are all fair game. I don't how to say pièce de résistance in Korean but however you say it, it's a slice or two of American cheese melting on top of the stew.
It tastes better than it sounds and it sounds pretty good.
Chaos34
Footballguy
My mom would have cursed that recipe. She made primavera very much like Mario Bitali. No cream, no tomato. Half the olive oil replaced with butter. No mint, extra basil (which is kinda minty). Typically some broccoli and cauliflower, no carrots or asparagus, but veggies were a bit about what needed cooking from the fridge. It was all about technique as you mentioned with getting the veggies just right. Her magic was frying it a little to brown some of the parm. Side dish for her. Served with a piece of fish or chicken typically, but I could easily make a meal of it.
Chaos34
Footballguy
Never had Buldak but this is me. I've signed the disclaimer in a Mexican place and did ok, not great, but okay. They were impressed. I buy more habaneros than anyone at my grocery store according to an old buddy who manages the place. I see something flavored with Carolina Reaper or Ghost Pepper and I buy it always to be disappointed by the domesticated Scoville scaling. Pffff.
Chaos34
Footballguy
I am not a food snob. Many of you have really surprised me in that way over the years, including you. But bruh, this don't sound good. It sounds bad.
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