Italian style or Italian American style

[Pollyannalola]

I had a gorgeous lasagne from an independent recently and it was such good quality and really authentic cooked to the owners mothers recipe.

I did really enjoy it but felt embarrassed however that I missed the other style of lasange which I don't think is particularly Italian but maybe Italian American? I love rich tomato sauce and stringy gooey cheese (lots of it)

This version had barely any tomato sauce and a very creamy bechamel flavour.

Then I realised I also like saucy cheesy pizzas, meatballs and ragus.

Delicate ricotta Ravioli is wasted on me!

What's your preference?

Not sure on the lasagne because I although I make it and eat it at home, it's not something I'd ever order out, so I suppose I just like it 'my way'. I think that would be closer to Italian though, it's not overly cheesy.

For pizza it's Italian all the way. I hate doughy bases, I like it paper thin, base made with good quality tomatoes, minimal cheese (mozzarella only, cheddar has no place on a pizza!) Having said that I have no objection to ham and pineapple on a pizza and I know that would see many an Italian Nona tearing their hair out!

I love love love homemade ravioli. Takes ages, but soo good. The same for homemade Italian-ish pizzas.

But I also love macaroni cheese and other pasta bakes which seem very Italian American in style.

So I guess I think both suit their own occasions! <Sits on fence>

When I'm eating out I prefer to have something that I don't usually cook at home.

I like my lasagne, but it's not authentic as I use far less pasta than any commercial variety - I want the good stuff, not the stodge !

As for pizza, it's really tarted up cheese on toast. I like the base so thin & the toppings so thick that it needs to be eaten with cutlery.

I grew up in a very Italian American area, I did not actually know about bechamel in lasagne until I moved to the UK. We all used ricotta instead.

There are definitely differences in Italian American food but I'm not sure if they're wildly different? Or in the same general universe

I know that when I read MN spag bol threads I'm just as horrified as the Italian MNers : )

I agree with this. Italian Americans would never put a white sauce in a lasagne. I never heard of such a thing til I moved to the UK either.

I imagine it was just more of a creamy lasagne.

Personally, I prefer them with ricotta and no white sauce.

There are definitely differences in Italian American food but I'm not sure if they're wildly different? Or in the same general universe

'Italian American food' can vary between different parts of the US IME... though maybe some of it is American Italian food iyswim. Pennsylvania seemed to be the very heavy, rather unsubtle style but in California generally fresher and lighter.

I also prefer it with ricotta : )

That's a good point, I only know New York Italian

Proper Italian food for me, please - in particular a lighter lasagne with bechamel is one of my favourite foods. But there is also a time and place for the heavier Italian-American food.

Italian American is very different to Italian. Personally I prefer Italian Italian. But then I also prefer Emilia Romagna Italian to other regions, because that's where the family is from, and we have the best food in Italy 😉

(Lasagne should be spinach, with a light Bolognese Ragu, and bechamel. No cheese at all, only parmesan on top).

I thought that Italian American lasagna had ricotta in it as that is the southern/ Sicilian style lasagna ( and that was where Italian migrants to the US predominantly came from). Whereas we tend to eat Northern Italian style lasagne because more of our Italian restaurant owners came from further North

I think youvare correct, @Wbeezer but then Americans take everything and make it bigger and boldet