Persian Guy Reacts to Italian Grandma's Homemade Ravioli

[@cydkriletich6538]

The YT algorithm suggested your channel to me this evening, and I’m very glad it did. I am a second generation Italian American on my mom‘s side and third generation, Italian American on my dad side. As much as I love Italian food, and I certainly do, when people ask me what my favorite ethnic cuisine is, I always look around to make sure none of my relatives are within earshot, and then I whisper, “Persian.“ I absolutely love Persian food! I have a very funny family story to tell you, which I have mentioned in other channels that have shown how to make pasta at home, because it is very fitting. Many years ago, when I was a child (I am now 75 years old), my mother, who was the middle of seven daughters, and five of her sisters went to my Nonna‘s house one day to make lots of different types of homemade pasta . The seven women were very busy all day long. Each time they finished a batch of a given type of pasta they would lay that batch out on my Nona‘s small couch in her tiny living room after, of course, putting down a clean sheet. When that layer was finished, they would put down another clean sheet and lay down another layer. By the end of that very long day, they had many, many layers of various types of homemade pasta laid out on that couch under many layers of beautiful, clean white sheets. My Aunt M and her husband, my Uncle T, live in a tiny basement apartment at my Nonna’s house. My uncle drove a bread truck, so he worked late night, and we get home very early in the morning. On that particular night he chose to enter their tiny apartment by going through my Nonna’s little apartment, which is right next to theirs. As he tiptoed quietly through the house he spied in the corner of his eyes, all the sheets on my Nonna’s. couch. Thinking to himself that my aunt am must have not wanted him to disturb her when he got home, so she had made him up a bed on the couch. He laid down on the couch and slept there that nigh! Poor Uncle T! He was startled awake in the morning by my aunt screaming at him, and my Nonna cursing him in Italian! This incident was not only the talk of our big family, but also was the talk of their small New Jersey town. If, over the years, Uncle T was there when the story was told, when all the laughter finally quieted down, he would end the story by saying “ That was the best night’s sleep I ever had!” BTW, fortunately Nonna, Mom, and my aunts did not make any filled pastas like ravioli, and most of the pasta was salvaged! I am subscribing to your channel.

[@Marefat480]

That's an amazing story! Thanks for sharing! My favorite ethnic cuisine is my own (Persian), followed by Italian : ]

[@jamesburrell677]

Cook times vary depending on how much water, how much food and of course temperature. The best cooks all learn to cook until it looks correct and of course taste test. In the case of ravioli it's ready when it floats and just like anything else you taste a sample to be sure. Never cook to time, cook to appearance and taste/texture, that way you are paying attention and it will be right. You can see this when her son asks how long and she just shrugged as if it is not important. The simplest example is pancakes, nobody cooks them to a time, they just cook them until they look right. Cook times, seasoning amounts, ingredient amounts are all just guidelines. Always cook to appearance and taste. If you know what it should look like how it should taste then it will always be the way YOU like it. Salting food is very important and using a recipe to tell you how much salt to use will almost always fail. Not all salt is the same. What salt does is bring out the flavors of the ingredients. You always salt to taste not to what a recipe says. Often, the ingredients especially butter or cheese contain salt and so this another reason to salt to taste.

[@Marefat480]

Really great points you made here! I appreciate your advice! 🙏