[senior citizen]

Fettucine Alfredo

1/2 pound room temperature butter
Salt
1/2 pound grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

In Italy "Pasta Alfredo" doesn't exist.

Italians make a dish of pasta; fettuccine dressed with nothing else than good aged parmigiano cheese and a lot of butter, but it is such a simple preparation that Italians don't even consider it as a "recipe".


Place half of the butter in a large serving bowl.
Keep the bowl warm.
Cook the fettuccine in boiling salted water.

When the pasta is perfectly al dente, (firm but not too soft or overcooked), save a few tablespoons of the cooking water.

Drain without shaking the colander too much, so that the pasta doesn't become too dry.

Drop the hot pasta in the bowl over the butter.

Add the rest of the butter and toss quickly to melt it.

Add the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and a small quantity of the reserved cooking water if the pasta appears too dry.

Toss vigorously, and serve immediately, accompanied by a small bowl with more grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, for the guests to add, if they wish.

Nice served with broccoli sauted in garlic & olive oil. Plus a tossed green Romaine Salad.
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This "sauce" can be served with chicken, seafood ,various pastas, or any vegetable you wish...........


Alfredo Sauce

1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons butter
2 egg yolks
2 cups heavy whipping cream
Salt to taste
2 pinches ground nutmeg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

Melt butter or margarine in a saucepan over medium heat.

Add heavy cream, stirring constantly.

Stir in salt, nutmeg, grated Parmesan cheese, and grated Romano cheese.

Stir constantly until melted, then mix in egg yolk.

Simmer over medium low heat for 3 to 5 minutes.

Garnish with additional grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.
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You will never buy the stuff in the jar again.

When we were "kids", my mother or father gave us buttered pasta as per the first "recipe" above.........we never knew it was "Alfredo".............

[Uptown Girl]

Per Wikipedia:
The origin of what we now call Fettuccine "Alfredo"

'Fettuccine with butter and Parmesan cheese was first mentioned in the 15th-century cookbook, Libro de arte coquinaria, written by Martino da Como, a northern Italian cook active in Rome. The name of the dish, "Maccheroni romaneschi" (English: Maccheroni the Roman way), betrays its Roman origin. The dish soon became a staple food in Italy and abroad.'

[dbussone]

Nice recipe and nice research. Thank you both.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by Uptown Girl

Per Wikipedia:
The origin of what we now call Fettuccine "Alfredo"

'Fettuccine with butter and Parmesan cheese was first mentioned in the 15th-century cookbook, Libro de arte coquinaria, written by Martino da Como, a northern Italian cook active in Rome. The name of the dish, "Maccheroni romaneschi" (English: Maccheroni the Roman way), betrays its Roman origin. The dish soon became a staple food in Italy and abroad.'

Thanks; that's very good to know. Thanks for looking it up.

My southern Italians made it, but didn't have a recipe for it......nor did they call it Fettuccine Alfredo. I never saw any of the aunts making an Alfredo sauce.........just my parents preparing the "dish" for us little ones, as I mentioned..........butter & cheese on hot "macaroni".

My frame of reference was the southern Italians in N.Y.C.

Maybe frozen brain syndrome........but it got me to thinking......

Blame it on the three snowstorms within the past week or so, with another one on the way.........or 9 below zero temps.

(our front covered porch looks like a scene from out of Dr. Zhivago, as does our back of the home screened in sun porch; the wind just whipped the snow right into that room, onto all of the furniture & decking..........never has that happened before; I'm waiting for Omar Sharif to appear).

I began wondering when certain foods were introduced during our childhoods, but the below hyperlink will take you to an even LONGER MORE EXPANSIVE TIMELINE OF THE ORIGIN OF FOOD & IT'S HISTORY.

CLICK LINK............KEEP SCROLLING TO THE VERY BOTTOM. Very long timeline.

Food Timeline: food history research service

FOOD TIMELINE:
"Ever wonder how the ancient Romans fed their armies? What the pioneers cooked along the Oregon Trail? Who invented the potato chip...and why? So do we!!! Food history presents a fascinating buffet of popular lore and contradictory facts. Some experts say it's impossible to express this topic in exact timeline format. They are correct. Most foods are not invented; they evolve. We make food history fun. "

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by dbussone

Nice recipe and nice research. Thank you both.

THANK YOU..........I FEEL LIKE MAKING IT NOW !!!!

I should have just said that it was "so simple it didn't need a recipe".

Click hyperlink below.......for even more information....

Italian Food, the American Way - History

Italian food the American way.........history of Fettucini Alfredo
The History of Fettuccine Alfredo

""One of the most classic dishes on every Italian-American menu is fettuccine alfredo.

But did you know that what we consider to be alfredo sauce is rarely eaten in Italy?

The Italian-American version of alfredo usually consists of mostly cream and parmesan cheese. In Italy, however, cream is not used very often to make sauces. It's considered to be too heavy and thick. So where did alfredo come from?

The story goes that in 1914, a man named Alfredo di Lelio was trying to cook something that would please his pregnant wife.

He created a sauce made from parmesan cheese and butter and poured it over some fettuccine.

Di Lelio opened up a restaurant in Italy and served his fettuccine dish.

Eventually, he moved to New York to open another restaurant, and that is how the dish came to America.

We call it alfredo, named after di Lelio, but in Europe it is called Pasta al Burro, which means pasta with butter.

Pretty much everywhere besides the United States, it's made with butter and no cream.""

My parents made it for us as children (as per my original recipe) with just butter, hot pasta, cheese........ No cream at all.

No doubt that all ethnicities have some "dish" that they serve the little ones that are "buttered noodles".........like our Ukrainians & Polish had the buttered pierogies.

[PennBF]

In the 1970's there were 2 resturants in Rome named "Fettucine Alfredo" one was a spin off from the original. My wife and son and I went to the original Alfredo's and he made and served his original Fettuchine. He mixed it at the table with a "gold spoon" which he gave to the lady at the table to use. He came back later to see if we would like more and my son (about 15 at the time) spoke up and said yes. Alfredo stopped him and said "no, no PaPa first" The resturant was not big and the "jet set" as they were known then were the main diner's. The Fettucine was outstanding and perfectly cooked. At the time Alfredo appeared to be in his late 60's or 70's? His resturant decor was what you would expect with red and white checkered table cloths and rather plain for such a famous resturant.

[senior citizen]

Originally Posted by PennBF

In the 1970's there were 2 resturants in Rome named "Fettucine Alfredo" one was a spin off from the original. My wife and son and I went to the original Alfredo's and he made and served his original Fettuchine. He mixed it at the table with a "gold spoon" which he gave to the lady at the table to use. He came back later to see if we would like more and my son (about 15 at the time) spoke up and said yes. Alfredo stopped him and said "no, no PaPa first" The resturant was not big and the "jet set" as they were known then were the main diner's. The Fettucine was outstanding and perfectly cooked. At the time Alfredo appeared to be in his late 60's or 70's? His resturant decor was what you would expect with red and white checkered table cloths and rather plain for such a famous resturant.

A very nice memory ............making me hungry, no matter what time of the morning it is.

Thanks for sharing it..........