Recipes

Saturday, September 21, 2013

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. 

3 comments:

  1. HISTORY OF ALFREDO DI LELIO CREATOR IN 1908 OF “FETTUCCINE ALL’ALFREDO”, NOW SERVED BY HIS NEPHEW INES DI LELIO, IN THE RESTAURANT “IL VERO ALFREDO” IN ROME, PIAZZA AUGUSTO IMPERATORE 30

    With reference of your article I have the pleasure to tell you the history of our grandfather Alfredo Di Lelio, who is the creator of “fettuccine all’Alfredo” in 1908 in restaurant run by his mother Angelina in Rome, Piazza Rosa (Piazza disappeared in 1910 following the construction of the Galleria Colonna / Sordi).
    Alfredo di Lelio opened the restaurant “Alfredo” in 1914 in a street in central Rome, after leaving the restaurant of his mother Angelina. In this local spread the fame, first to Rome and then in the world, of “fettuccine all’Alfredo”.
    In 1943, during the war, Di Lelio sold the restaurant to others outside his family.
    In 1950 Alfredo Di Lelio decided to reopen with his son Armando his restaurant in Piazza Augusto Imperatore n.30 "Il Vero Alfredo" (“Alfredo di Roma”), which is now managed by his nephew Ines, with the famous “gold cutlery”” (fork and spoon gold) donated in 1927 by two well-known American actors Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks (in gratitude for the hospitality).
    See also the site of “Il Vero Alfredo” http://www.ilveroalfredo.it (in which there are also informations on franchising) .
    I must clarify that other restaurants "Alfredo" in Rome do not belong to the family tradition of "Il Vero Alfredo" in Rome.
    I inform you that the restaurant “Il Vero Alfredo” is in the registry of “Historic Shops of Excellence” of the City of Rome Capitale.
    Best regards Ines Di Lelio

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paolo,

      Thank you for sharing with me this interesting bit of history regarding this wonderful dish. I read about it as well but in Wikipedia and truth be told, I argued with myself if I should include a brief history in the text. I guess you saved me from having to write all this on my blog. :) Best regards! - Dan

      Delete
  2. Dan, your recipe inspired me to try my hand at this. Sub-ed out garlic for nutmeg, and it still came out amazing.

    ReplyDelete