Fettuccine Alfredo has been my favorite meal since I was a little girl. What's not to love about pasta and creamy Alfredo sauce? It's a perfect food. According to the recipe, this dish was the renowned specialty of the Roman restauranteur Alfredo, known as the "king of fettuccine", who invented it during the 1930s in his restaurant in Villa del Scrofa. He made the final blending of the butter into the pasta into a true spectacle, using gold utensils, it was said. Well, I may not have gold utensils to make this homemade fettuccine into a spectacle, but nevertheless, it's good stuff! I definitely don't think I'll go hungry in Italy.
Note: This recipe is for an authentic Fettuccine Alfredo. It is important to understand that traditionally, there is no cream added like most of us in America are accustomed to. The Parmigiano Reggiano available in Italy is much creamier and of a higher quality than what we might find here in our U.S. grocery stores. I found this recipe to be quite tasty, but the texture was not as creamy as what we are used to here. I will definitely try it again when I am in Italy with some very good high-quality cheese and see how different my results are.
Fettuccine Alfredo
Credit: La Cucina: The Regional Cooking of Italy by the Italian Academy of Cuisine
Ingredients:
3 cups durum wheat flour mixed with 1 tablespoon semolina flour, plus more as needed
5 large eggs
1 ¼ cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 ½ sticks plus 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
salt and pepper
Directions:
~Sift together the flours and use them and the eggs to prepare a pasta dough as in the Homemade Pasta Dough (Method).
~Let rest 20 minutes.
~Roll out the dough to form a sheet, then cut into strips about ⅜-inch wide.
(This step is very easy with my new toy!)
~Cook these fettuccine in a pot of lightly salted boiling water until al dente then drain and put in a warm serving dish, adding 2 tablespoons of the cooking water (to help blend the ingredients).
~Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and butter; toss to melt the butter. Serve in warmed bowls A pinch of pepper makes an excellent final touch.
Comments
No Comments