Lasagna noodles are sold both fresh and dried in Italy, depending on where you are, but they are not the long ribbony noodles used in American lasagna. An Italian lasagna is constructed out of pasta rectangles, so it’s easier to work with. I take it some Americans now use won ton wrappers in their lasagna recipes.
[Edited to Add: It appears Barilla sells a no-pre-cook lasagne noodle in Italy
Do you know the name or have a recipe for that chickpea dish? Sounds great!
(Replying again - don’t know what I did wrong previously.)
The 30 minute soak is longer than it would take to boil the water and cook the pasta the normal way - first you’d have to heat the water to hot and then the 30 minute soak. What is gained here?
Here it is
You will see that the “frittata” part of the recipe is at the end, describing what to do with leftovers.
I know that Pasta Rummo sells packages of pasta mista corta, and if you live near a very good Italian deli, you might be able to find it. But if you eat a lot of dried pasta, you can also make your own bag. Just set aside a bit of the package every time you make a pasta dish to mix up with other pasta, breaking up the bigger pastas into shorter bits.
I once saw a TV show in which a Williams-Sonoma cook recommended soaking dry pasta in cold water for 90 minutes before cooking, which cuts the cooking time to that of fresh pasta. Good for reducing kitchen heat in summer, and conserving fuel. Just really hard to remember in time!
I think it works nicely for lasagna. But would not expect ziti to work. I guess the flat shape of the lasagna noodles allows them to quickly absorb enough water to become pliable enough to compose your dish with. Then they absorb more liquid from the sauce, so you do want plenty of sauce. I’m talking about plain old Italian American red sauce lasagna, not anything authentic.
