Cooking Dominican Style Spaguettis

Aug 6, 2006
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I prefer to put the drained and strained al dente pasta on the dish and pour the sauce over it, and perhaps a bit of cheese on top.
I do this with a microwave in under 25 minutes, and I find it tasty. Yes, I have had even better spaghetti than this, but never made as fast.

The Dominicanas I know tend to put the sauce in with overboiled spaghetti and overcook the whole mess. Pretty awful, according to my taste, though not as awful as disasters I have witnessed performed on shrimp and lambi (conch).

I am willing to believe that there are better ways to cook spaghetti in the RD, but far I have not seen it.
Hope springs eternal.

Hint: if you are in Barahona, never order a taco at the Superfrio. Stick with mang?, fish, and local dishes.
 
Apr 7, 2014
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I prefer to put the drained and strained al dente pasta on the dish and pour the sauce over it, and perhaps a bit of cheese on top.
I do this with a microwave in under 25 minutes, and I find it tasty. Yes, I have had even better spaghetti than this, but never made as fast.

The Dominicanas I know tend to put the sauce in with overboiled spaghetti and overcook the whole mess. Pretty awful, according to my taste, though not as awful as disasters I have witnessed performed on shrimp and lambi (conch).

I am willing to believe that there are better ways to cook spaghetti in the RD, but far I have not seen it.
Hope springs eternal.

Hint: if you are in Barahona, never order a taco at the Superfrio. Stick with mang?, fish, and local dishes.
You said it. Its quite awful. I think because
a. They dont let the water get hot enough or
b. They cook it too long and
c. They think it is supposed to be a soup or stew.
 
May 29, 2006
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The key is in boiling the pasta for no less than half an hour, or as the Dominicans call it,. al dente..

My sister in law cooks it with potatoes, plantains, auyama and chicken boullion as a soup. I end up eating pico pollo on those days.
 

AlterEgo

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Jan 9, 2009
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The key is in boiling the pasta for no less than half an hour, or as the Dominicans call it,. al dente..

My sister in law cooks it with potatoes, plantains, auyama and chicken boullion as a soup. I end up eating pico pollo on those days.

When I make spaghetti and sauce in DR, the only thing I let our maid do is get the big pot of water boiling. She was very suspicious the first time, sure I didn't know what I was doing, she stood back watching. When I set a timer on my phone, she raised her eyebrows.

When it was served, she said it was good because I had special pasta and 'chemicos'. I told her I bought everything at La Sirena :)
 
Sep 4, 2012
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She calls ingredients/spices "chemicos", not sure if this is campo talk or typical Dominican-eze. My sisters-in-law say ingredientes.

What else is there to be used as "chemicos" beyond, garlic, onion, peppers, olives, tomatoes, oregano and salt?

disclaimer: I suck at anything related to kitchen chores....lol
 

AlterEgo

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What else is there to be used as "chemicos" beyond, garlic, onion, peppers, olives, tomatoes, oregano and salt?

disclaimer: I suck at anything related to kitchen chores....lol

Well, first of all, I'm making Italian spaghetti, not Dominican, so the 'chemicos' are a little different. :) We usually have a basil plant, but I also bring down dried basil [La Sirena sells fresh basil, labeled Laurel]. Ditto rosemary and parsley, also sold dried at La Sirena. I do the cooking/slight browning of the peppers, onions and garlic [in that order] in extra virgin olive oil - that I also bring with me [Usually one of the big cans of Filippo Berio EVOO].

She also calls Old Bay, etc [all premixed spices] 'chemicos'.
 
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dv8

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Sep 27, 2006
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i made pasta for dominicans twice. first time around they complained that it was too hard and the sauce too spicy and not greasy enough. the second time around i made a sauce using lots of oil, chopped dominican salami and a can of tomatoes. few years later they still talk about how delicious it was. :tired:
 

ju10prd

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Ex esposas mother used to dish up a rather heavy (oily) pasta which I quite liked especially after a good daytime drink in the campo........no salami though.

However the Italian owner of a the small hotel in Los Patos makes me realize the difference. He has a pasta dish on his menu with a name which he explains depicts a husband preparing a meal rapidly with whatever he can lay his hands on because he has be with his belle before preparing a meal for his wife. Can't recall the name. Great host and better when he dons the apron.

More rustic than any 'Italian' in the capital.
 
Aug 6, 2006
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Eight to nine minutes on the stove in boiling water will result in al dente pasta.
In a microwave, this is ten minutes starting with very hot water.

I agree that the main error is that dominicans think of spaghetti as sort of stew.

Another failing involves cooking Victorino salsa de tomate until it turns black, like tar, with chicken.
 

AlterEgo

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Jan 9, 2009
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Eight to nine minutes on the stove in boiling water will result in al dente pasta.
In a microwave, this is ten minutes starting with very hot water.

I agree that the main error is that dominicans think of spaghetti as sort of stew.

Another failing involves cooking Victorino salsa de tomate until it turns black, like tar, with chicken.

Really good Italian pasta needs more than 8-9 minutes unless you're talking about angel hair/very fine pasta. I buy Delaverde in DR when I can find it.

And the dark sauce when they make pollo guisado is not from cooking it too long. It's because they caramelize sugar in the pan in oil first, then brown the chicken, onions, etc. in it before adding the tomato paste. The sugar darkens the tomato and makes the sauce brown.