I have become aware of an alarming trend, recently. At least, a local one. More places are undercooking their pasta - preparation “al dente”.
Yes, I know that some people prefer it that way. I am not one of them. I like my pasta fully-cooked. Or overcooked. I’m not here to quibble.
What I do want to know is what instruction can I give to the waitstaff to make sure the cooks actually prepare the pasta the way I want it? Is there an Italian term for “Just boil the goddamn pasta two extra minutes already”?
I’d go with “not al dente please”.
I’m another one who really doesn’t like al dente/undercooked pasta. I like mostaccioli/rigatoni type noodles to collapse on themselves and be served flat…just like Nana used to make them. But I know a restaurant isn’t likely to cook them quite that long so “not al dente” is fine. I’d imagine “Could you have them boil the noodles for an extra minute or two?” would also get the point across.
But I’d make sure this is a place that routinely under cooks them before you say this and wind up with a plateful of noodles that are falling apart.