1 lb Fettuccine
1 c Reserved Pasta Water
6 tbsp Butter, sliced or diced to smaller pieces
2 c Grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt to season (taste) + for pasta water
Pepper to season (taste)
3 tbsp Parsley Fine Chop
Directions:
In a pot, fill with less water than normal pound of pasta. When water boils, salt liberally. Add pasta; stir frequently to prevent sticking in lower water amount. Cook as directed on package, when ready, reserve 1 1/ 2 cup of pasta water before draining noodles.
Drain and put noodles immediately back in to pot. Drop in butter pats, tossing, add cheese and pasta water in small amounts tossing until finished. Season with salt and pepper, toss in chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
Fettuccine Alfredo is a favorite of people around the world but it has become in places a much heavier dish than the original version, which is what we are preparing here.
The small amount of water for cooking pasta is important, rather than a pot full of water, about 8 cups in your pot should be enough to cover and cook pasta. The starch leeched from the cooked pasta leaves the reserved water a thicker consistency for the sauce.
The story goes, and some call it apocryphal though many say it true.
An Italian chef had a wife who was either pregnant or just had a baby, and the red sauce was too much for her, so he adoring husband decided to make a lighter easier on her system sauce with a few simpler ingredients. And voila…Fettuccine Alfredo…but wait…there is more. The Hollywood Royal Couple of Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks were on a tour of Italy and dined at the Chef Alfredo’s establishment, having the fettuccine and returning for the next 8 days, each time asking for the recipe.
And each night turned down, until the final night when the chef relented. In return the couple gave the chef a gold spoon and fork set that in appreciation, and the chef’s descendants still present the dish tossed table side with gold utensils.
It is said that Pickford and Fairbanks brought Fettuccine Alfredo to America
Now, how much of this is outright or partially true, I do not know for sure, but what I do know is that this dish is so simple but tastes amazing…It is actually light but velvety…not at all gloopy and heavy like your local pasta restaurant.
Go on, give it a try and you may never go back to local pasta house or the frozen stuff!