Cuomo's Mom Trashes His GF Sandra Lee's Lasagna

Controversy has rocked the Andrew Cuomo campaign following comments made by the Attorney General's mother about his girlfriend's lasagna. The dish is reportedly Cuomo's favorite, despite the fact that Sandra Lee, a Food Network host, makes it with canned tomato soup and cottage cheese. Asked about the recipe in an interview with NY1 yesterday, Andrew's mother Matilda said, "I don't know that that's true. You know, maybe she puts cottage cheese because he doesn't want to put on weight. That's not the way you make a lasagna."

Cuomo immediately swung into damage control mode before his girlfriend could claw his mother's eyes out. "On this issue, I’m going to be very, very careful," Cuomo said on a radio interview this morning. "Since the campaign started for me... This is the toughest issue I’ve had to deal with. Lasagna is like politics, everybody gets an opinion... Everybody’s right, nobody’s wrong." Except, as an Italian-American, Cuomo should know that lasagna made with canned tomato soup and cottage cheese is about as authentic as an order of manicotti at Olive Garden. He should also listen to his mother.

"Sandy’s cooking is very good cooking," Cuomo continued. "My mother’s cooking is very good cooking. As an independent Democrat, I eat everybody’s lasagna. I eat conservative’s lasagna. I eat liberal lasagna." Asked about the use of cottage cheese, Cuomo suggested that ricotta was scarce in Wisconsin where Lee grew up: "I thought she was very industrious, Sandy, coming with cottage cheese when she couldn’t come up with ricotta cheese." And to be fair, maybe his mom should just be glad Lee isn't cheating on Andrew or hanging with Pedro Espada.

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By John Del Signore in Food on June 16, 2010 2:55 PM

Comments [rss]

Blue387

Andy Cuomo could be worse: Richard Nixon enjoyed cottage cheese with ketchup.

just saying

No ricotta in Wisconsin. Who are you kidding? Wisconsin is known the "Cheese State." (Hasn't anyone seen those crazy cheesehead hats that Wisconsin residents wear to Green Bay Packer games?) Of course, it has ricotta cheese--and more.

Below are some of the various ricottas that can be purchased from that state as noted by the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board: http://www.eatwisconsincheese.com/cheese/results.aspx?keyword=ricotta

P.S. And I'm not from Wisconsin and have never been there.

VenusinFauxFur

makes it with canned tomato soup and cottage cheese. Oh, Marone!

What's this "Marone" crap? "Marone" is not a word. When Italians exclaim something that sounds like this, they are saying "Oh Madonna" (pronounced "O mah-DUNNE"). It's an exclamation to the Virgin Mary, like saying "oh God!"

So many writers use "Marone" and it's annoying.

amsci

Yeah, I usually write it as "Madonn' ". I'm Italian-American and I think the confusion stems from speakers shortcutting the pronunciation the double d and it sounding slightly like a burred "r." Dunno, that's just my theory.

nicemarmot

Speaking as a midwestern native, there was no ricotta out there when I was growing up, and my mom used cottage cheese in her lasagna. However, they do now have it even out in the middle of nowhere, so there's really no excuse. Though cottage cheese in lasagna really isn't as bad (or as noticeably different from ricotta) as you might think from reading this. Canned tomato soup is another story, ewww.

ANGRYGOD11

Growing up in Wisconsin is no excuse for cooking crap years after leaving.

It's state, not a disability.

LWhitt58

Ricotta was scarce in Wisconsin where Sandy grew up? Andy, Andy, Andy. You're a politician. Thought you'd learn to get your facts straight before speaking. Oh wait. You're a politician. Never mind.

From what I can find, she was born in L.A. in 1966, lived there until 1972, when her mother divorced her father, remarried, and they moved to Washington State. When was she in Wisconsin? IMDB *AND* her own bio at the SemiHo site shows her as attending the University of Wisconsin - so that would have been in the late 1980s, right? Wisconsin didn't have ricotta in the late 1980s?

I call BS, Andy-boy.

amsci

Also, it's 2010... I find it hard to believe that a crazy eye-talian food like ricotta has not worked its way into many of the so-called "flyover states."

Gotham Extremist

Sandra Lee: as long as she don't say nothin about them spicy meatballs, its all cool.

zincink

his mother is right, however this going public is sad for his wife - she was just trying to save some calories

Mr Mel

She aint his wife.

Mordicai

Oh LASAGNA. I though you said something else.

Rocknrope

I admire Sandra Lee for dealing with a tough childhood and having a successful career, but honestly, her cooking show is a trainwreck if you enjoy food at all.

schadenfreudian mensch

What can I say, she's appealing to the post-real estate bubble homeless moms bringing food from the food pantries demographic.

jpeditor

Makes sense - Andrew helped stoke the mortgage crises when he ran HUD, so she can help the underwater and foreclosed who now have to eat CRUD.