Friday, 20 November 2009
-
IRLF Pasta Challenge: Easy Fettuccine Alfredo
Editor's Note: This post appears as part of IRLF's Weekly Challenge series.
If there's any one dish that has significant meaning to me, it's Fettuccine Alfredo.
It's the first real dish I ever made. It's also the one dish that holds the most weight for me, because it was also the first dish I ever made that led me to the mantra that I live by now -- that Food = Love; made for first girl I ever loved.
We all begin somewhere when we start to cook. This is where it began for me; and maybe this is where it will begin for you, reader, as well.
Fettuccine Alfredo is a simple dish. Possibly one of the most simple Pasta dishes to make, and yet most people either don't know how, don't try it, or are too afraid to try making it at home. The fact is, it just takes a few steps: Cream and Butter together, simmer, then grated Cheese. And it's done. Really, it's that simple.Fettuccine Alfredo is also a good introduction to Cream-based Pasta sauces. Add some minced garlic, and you have a garlic cream sauce. Add some pesto, and you have a Creamy Pesto. Change the cheese even, to Gorgonzola maybe. Once you make your first Fettuccine Alfredo and realize how easy it is, you'll realize how versatile this basic technique is, and how many different dishes you can make just by changing a little bit or adding a little something more.
I hope you give this one a try, just so you can see how easy it is to make at home.
INGREDIENTS:- 1 1/2 Cups Cream or Half-and-Half
- 5 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 1 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1lb (500g) Fresh Fettuccine
- Salt and Pepper/ Grated Nutmeg to taste
PROCEDURE:
Start by boiling your pasta water.
When the water is at a rolling boil, add a bit of salt and add your Fettuccine. Stir it around so it doesn't stick. If you are using Fresh Fettuccine, you only need to boil for about 2 minutes.
Combine your Cream and Butter in a saucepan or skillet. Simmer for about 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
Add your grated cheese in a few batches at a time, stirring as you go. It should melt into the cream as you stir.
Take your cooked Fettuccine, add it to the Sauce pan, and stir until the sauce is absorbed. Feel free to simmer it a few minutes longer if you like, but otherwise...
Done. Easy right?
Salt / Pepper/ Nutmeg to taste.
Fettuccine Alfredo is usually served as a Starter dish in Italy in small portions, with grilled meat. I like mine with some Grilled Prawns.
Plate and Serve immediately, as Alfredo is best eaten immediately. Also, I like to crumble Parmesan Cheese off of the block as a garnish.
Fettuccine Alfredo is simple and easy to make, but do not substitute ingredients with this dish. Use Butter, not margarine. You must use Cream (or half-and-half), not milk. Use a good fresh-grated Parmesan cheese, not the sawdust-tasting pseudo-cheese in the green can. Use a Fresh Fettuccine from the refrigerated section, not the dried stuff in a box. You don't have to use Plugra or Fleur de Sel or Parmigiano Reggiano, but the quality will show through if you do, because this is such a simple dish.
If you've never tried making Fettuccine Alfredo before, why not give it a try? You might end up liking it enough to add to your standard weeknight repertoire to have with some good crusty Italian bread.
For more, see the full length entry here: http://chow.ireallylikefood.com/716391525/easy-fettuccine-alfredo/
-
recommend
- recs 1
-
share
-
email
- sent 1
Related Posts
Post a Comment
- Back to ireallylikefood's IReallyLikeFood Site!
- Note: your comment will appear in ireallylikefood's local time zone: GMT -05:00 (Eastern Standard - US, Canada)
About the Author
-
- From: chow
- Name: MC
- About Me: I believe that Anyone can cook. And I'm here to teach people how to do that. I'm here to teach and build, one article at a time, a comprehensive cooking instruction site designed for a reader who doesn’t know how to cook at all; to be able to come in and build a foundation in cooking -- learning not only recipes, but also about the Ingredients they are using, Preparation and Cooking Technique, and the Science and History behind the food. I want them to be able to fully understand and be knowledgeable in cooking, and be completely comfortable in the kitchen. Anyone can cook. I believe this in my heart and soul. I believe that Food is Love, and that one of the best ways to show someone Love is to cook for them.
Stats: This Week All Time Posts: 0 4 Views: 0 1970 Comments: 0 69 View all posts by chow
Comments (28)
Yum alfredo! I stick away from nutmeg in mine now though haha. I added way too much the first time and it was disgusting.
omnomnomnom
I'll have some of that! Excellent dish!
Love this!!!
Damnit! This posted while I was sleeping. I have to upload the actual post now.
aww, it was the first dish my fiance ever made me too on our first valentine's day =) good memories.
@Athlyx@xanga - I know what you mean, I don't actually put nutmeg in mine either; but it's a common way to do it. I think it tastes good with just the parmesan, salt and pepper. When I first made this the very very first time, I actually used CINNAMON thinking that it was close enough to nutmeg. Talk about disgusting.
Then again, I was just a dumb little boy cooking for a girl I liked. Thank goodness she didn't spew it.
@justXforXyou_beautiful@xanga - I love sweet memories like these; it's interesting how foods can bring about old memories isn't it? You should ask him to make it again! :) It will be cute. You could have the same thing you had then, and look back on how far you've come together.
I LOVE alfredo. It's terrible for you but soooooo good. I don't eat it that often.
I have been searching for a way to vegan this, it used to be one of my favourite things to eat. I never made it at home though... didn't know it was so easy. I don't think I could put nutmeg on it... First time I used nutmeg on anything it was a bust, such a big bust that for two weeks after when opening my spice cupboard I was made sick by the smell.
@karmavore - You know what, I was thinking about this. I bet you could. Basically, if you think about it... Alfredo is a basic cream sauce infused with parmesan cheese. What are the taste components here?
Creamy
Rich
Smooth
Luxurious
Tangy
Fermented/ Aged
Salty
If you can identify the source of two things: Dairy/ Cream replacement; Parmesan Cheese replacement, you could do this.
I bet you could take a fermented tofu product, one of silken tofu texture; and blend it into puree with a reduced soy milk so that it forms a smooth sauce. There's a new vegan cheese product on the market, I'm not too familiar with it, but if the way its proteins work is similar to cheese, it should blend nicely. I'm not sure how close to the parmesan flavor it would be though -- but not all Alfredos are made with parmesan anyway. I'm sure if you played with it enough you could come up with a suitable analog :)
Even more, let me ask you this -- how do you make a Vegan Macaroni & Cheese? The technique should be almost identical.
Don't know what's difference between fresh and dry Fettuccine. I love the fresh Chinese noodles tho.
@chow - I don't make vegan mac and cheese =( All the fake cheeses are really terrible. BUT! Nutritional yeast has a cheesy flavour (which could easily be made in to a sauce) I have heard of people making alfredo sauce with cashews processed until they are very fine with a milk substitute that I am thinking of working on.
@foggysunnymorning@xanga - Dried Fettuccine is the stuff you buy in boxes off the shelf. Fresh Fettuccine is the stuff you get out of the refrigerated section, it's usually kept where they have ravioli and tortellini, and some fresh pasta sauces. :)
I love fresh chinese noodles as well. I pass by a noodle factory every day, so I only eat fresh chinese noodles when I do make them :D
@karmavore - I need to check out this Nutritional Yeast thing you keep talking about; it sounds like an interesting ingredient that I need to learn about; to see what I can do with it.
@chow - I know where I can get fresh fettuccine. Thanks, anyways. heheh....I meant if the fresh fettuccine taste much better.
@foggysunnymorning@xanga - Ohh my bad haha. It's a different texture. You know how... okay; with Chinese noodles -- if you buy something like E-mien dried out of a package, and make that, it still tastes good but it has kind of a weird "bite" to it? But if you use E-mien that you bought fresh from a noodle factory, it's very elastic-ey and pliable and soft?
That's like the difference between Fresh and Dried Fettuccine. To each his own though -- to be honest, sometimes I like it with Dried too, because it has a good texture contrast that I like; but most people like it with the really soft, fresh Fettuccine noodles. Also Fresh Fettuccine cooks really fast, Dried is kind of a pain in the ass to cook (I find at least).
@chow - it is really magical. I only found out about it a month ago and it has changed my life. Primarily because I do not have to worry about B12 supplements anymore. The taste is fantastic though, really cheesy. I have only just started to discover uses for it other then sprinkling it on things, doors I thought were forever closed are flying open.
@chow - I see. I guess I like fresh Fettuccine. Do you like Alfredo or Pesto sauce from store?
@foggysunnymorning@xanga - Ehhh not really, mostly because Alfredo (as above) is so easy to make that it's not really worth buying that little tub of Alfredo sauce. I figure, that little tub is what, like $5 or so -- you can buy heavy cream and parmesan for less than that; and produce maybe 5x the amount of sauce that the little tub makes, and have it taste WAAAAAY better too.
The thing about Pesto that most people don't realize is that Fresh, Real Pesto tastes different from what you get in a jar or tub. The reason is that the cheese in Pesto mixtures reacts with the other ingredients, turning it rancid very quickly. In fact, I would say that Pesto with the parmesan in it only lasts maybe 4 days before going bad. I mean you can still eat it, it just doesn't taste good anymore. Also, Pesto is so easy to make at home, it's ridiculous. I think I'm going to cover that as well. :)
@karmavore - Okay so I looked up Nutritional Yeast and it sounds perfect for this. What are it's characteristics though, when heated and combined with a cream-type liquid? Does it remain in solid grains, or does it denature and melt?
I'm actually kind of fascinated with this stuff now. I'm going to have to trek over to the market for some I think.
@chow - I see. I don't know what the fresh pesto taste like. I usually get it from Costco.
@chow - it melts away. I have fallen in love with putting it on toast with margarine and garlic as a fast garlic "bread" The flakes just dissolve where the margarine pools, and where it is dry they retain shape. I am looking up some sauce recipes now... Thinking I will attempt a sort of mac and cheese... in the kraft dinner sort of way...
@karmavore - You know what... this is awesome. I was thinking, if you could melt this nutritional yeast into a high enough concentration into a cream like base, you could make a Vegan Bechamel type sauce; roux base, and you could use it actually as a cheese substitute on its own; like on pizza, instead of the weird vegan cheese. Or on flatbreads, with fresh vegetables and herbs; because it would caramelize and puff up just like Bechamel or Mornay does. This is wonderful.
Omg! I've been craving Fettuccine Alfredo for a looong time. I'm always pestering my boyfriend about going to an Italian restaurant one day lol.
I once had it at a local restaurant, and it tasted amazing! They grilled a bunch of veggies (asparagus, green beans, broccoli, etc) and put them right on top of the Alfredo. Oh so yummy.