Fettuccini Alfredo

Copyright 2013 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

What do you do with 2 lbs of fettuccini? Why, you make Fettuccini Alfredo of course! Here in my country, this pasta dish is also often bastardized and ends up in a sea of white sauce that may or may not contain condensed milk. I've tried one where I had to add a ton of Parmesan cheese just to neutralize the sweetness of the sauce. It was almost like a dessert pasta in its sweetness. Another offense is the addition of either bacon, mushroom, ground meat or a combination of two or three of the above mentioned items. Somehow for us Filipinos, more is usually better although sometimes, that is not the case. 

In my desire to go back to basics when it comes to Italian dishes, I am scaling back on the expectations of what a Pasta Alfredo is to those who claim to know all about it and honor the original recipe of Alfredo Di Lelio which traditionally is made with only butter and cheese. Well, I'm almost going to honor it. The addition of cream allowed the use of less butter when making the sauce and this is what I'm going to follow. I also used a little bit of milk to thin out the sauce. As much as I love butter, I'm on a low fat diet at the moment and even with just one serving of this dish, I may have already pushed my caloric intake to the brink. I'm eating this dish with one eye blind. Thus, with a nod to the original recipe and a bit of a twist by adding lemon juice and zest ala Giada de Laurentis, here is my version of Fettuccini Danilo. Ooops, I meant, Alfredo! 

Fettuccini Alfredo

1 lb dried fettuccini
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 lemon, juiced and zested
2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and white pepper

1. Cook fettuccini as per packet instructions. While the pasta is cooking, 
    prepare the sauce. 

2. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium low heat. Keep an eye on it
    and make sure it does not burn. 

3. Slowly add the heavy cream while stirring and continue to stir until the 
    cream is fully incorporated. 

4. Season with salt and white pepper. Slowly add the lemon juice and stir 
    quickly to prevent the cream from curdling. 

5. When the pasta is almost ready, add the milk and nutmeg into the sauce. 
    Turn off the heat and add half the cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted
    into the sauce and check for flavor and adjust accordingly. 

6. Toss the fettuccini into the skillet and coat with the sauce.  Add the rest 
    of the Parmesan cheese and lemon zest and serve immediately.