I’m not a fan of cream sauces. Never have been. But I love cheese, and now that I know what goes into Fettuccine Alfredo I’ve decided I like it. That’s unfortunate, because it really is a heart attack on a plate. No photos, but here’s what I did:
Pour your water in a pot and start heating it (to boil the pasta).
Take a big saucepan (I’ve got a great big one that’s really deep with a lid – that works great for this) and put the burner on low. Break up a stick of unsalted butter into the pan (about 8 TBSP) and heat until it’s melted.
In the meantime, once your water is boiling you can add about 400 grams of dry fettuccine noodles (regular old dry packaged stuff, NOT fresh) into that pot.
Once your butter is melted, put about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of garlic salt into it (whatever you like, you can even leave it out) and mix it until it dissolves. Turn off the burner and leave the butter there.
Cook your pasta until it’s just about as cooked as you like it. The dish will turn out better if the pasta isn’t overcooked. Once that’s done, take some tongs and grab the noodles from the pot and put them directly into the saucepan. It’s very important not to drain them.
Turn the heat on the saucepan to medium and immediately mix the noodles with the butter to coat them. As soon as they’re wet, throw in about 2/3 cups of finely shredded fresh parmesan cheese and stir until the cheese melts. If it seems a little dry toss in a bit (like a tablespoon or two) of the pasta water. Once all the cheese is incorporated then throw in another 2/3 cup (or in my case 3/4 cup) and repeat the process.
If done correctly (and I didn’t find it too hard) you’ll wind up with the type of sauce you’d expect to see in a restaurant. Immediately put this in bowls and enjoy with a little black pepper on top. Alfredo is a rather delicate sauce and I’ve heard it doesn’t keep well, so you may want to cut all the amounts in half to avoid leftovers. You could always serve a little garlic bread or something with it to stretch it. It’s a pretty rich meal so that might make it a bit better.
I'll Have A Slice 