One of my favorite things to make is Fettuccine Alfredo. In high school I found a simple recipe for a mommy version of Alfredo sauce and made it a few times for my family. Then during the months when Phillip and I were emailing each other before we started dating he told my he knew how to make homemade pasta so we agreed that Fettuccine Alfredo would be the first thing we'd cook together; he would show me how to make the pasta and I would show him my sauce.
Well the first time we tried it was, we'll say, a practice run. We got back from church and had to be somewhere by 2pm, so we didn't have much time. Making the pasta dough took longer then we though. Then rolling it out by hand was a pain because pasta dough is supper thick, so needless to say we gave up on rolling it as thin as we wanted. When we boiled the noodles it expanded to double that size like pasta is supposed to, so our pasta was crazy thick and doughy. The sauce was another story. The recipe I used called for corn starch to thicken it, which I will say now isn't a good idea to use a pasta sauce recipe that calls for corn starch because there are much more legitimate effective ways to thicken a sauce. But the sauce was too thick and then we didn't have extra milk to thin it out, along with the fact that I didn't use near enough cheese. So the first attempt was a failure but fun.
Since then, we have made Fettuccine Alfredo countless times. Last Summer, Phillip gave me a pasta machine, which makes rolling out and cutting the pasta dough much easier. I have also had time to prefect my sauce, which I can say it typically solely my job because Phillip gets frustrated with the roux when you have to add the milk. I will warn you that this process is a little time consuming but fun and rewarding. If you don't want to go through the work of making your own pasta, you can use a store bought pasta and make the sauce but I will say that homemade is always better. I will also say that this Alfredo Sauce recipe has come from trial and error and is not the mommy sauce I used the first time we made Fettuccine Alfredo, this recipe is mostly 2's so it's easy to remember.
Fettuccine Alfredo
Pasta:
2 3/4 c all purpose flour
12 egg yolks
2-4 egg whites
pinch of salt
Alfredo Sauce:
2 tbsp of butter
2 tbsp of all purpose flour
2 c warm milk
pinch of salt
2+ c grated Parmesan cheese (good quality, don't be cheap with the cheese, the flavor of store brand or even Kraft is not the same and they don't melt as easily as Sergento or a better quality cheese)
pinch of nutmeg (optional, but advised)
Pasta Directions:
1. Measure out, the flour spooning it into a dry measuring cup. (NOTE: If you simply scoop flour out of your flour container, the flour will be compactor than if you spooned it into the cup and your recipe will not turn out the same because you used too much flour.)
2. Then pour out the flour onto a clean dry counter.
3. Form the flour into a small mound. Then stick your fingers down into the center of the mound and rotate until there is a large crater.
4. Then separate a dozen eggs, into two different bowls. I suggest breaking the eggs over your fingers and transferring it from on hand to the other repeatedly until the white has fallen through your fingers and you are left holding the yolk.
5. Use a fork or whisk to break the yolks and slightly mix them up. Then pour them into the center of your mound of flour.
6. Slowly work the flour into the center with the yolks with your fingers. NOTE: This techniques is hard, I still have problems with preforming this technique without having yolk running out onto the counter so do stress if your weld doesn't work. Just quickly work the flour into the yolk enough that yolk is not running everywhere.)
7. Continue to work the flour and yolk together. Once it is about 3/4 of the way mixed start kneading with the heal of your hand.
8. Add an egg white and continue kneading. You wont be able to mix in all of the crumbs but try to get some of them.
9. Knead for 10 minutes and add another egg white or two if needed. Be patient, this process takes time. The dough should turn out firm, thoroughly mixed and not sticky.
10. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
11. After allowing the dough to rest roll our the dough, either with a pasta machine or with a heavy rolling pin. Roll out to the thickness of about a dime.
12. Then cut the dough into Fettuccine noodles. If you are doing this by hand I advice using a ruler and an extra sharp knife. You want the noodles to be all the same time because if they aren't they wont have the same cook time.
13. Then boil the pasta for about 3-4 minutes, this may vary. Fish a noodle out and throw it at the wall, it's fun! If it sticks to the wall, the pasta is ready, but if it rolls down then give it another 30 secs and try again.
Alfredo Sauce Directions:
1. Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
2. Slowly whisk in the flour. (NOTE: I like to tilt the pan so that the butter is only on one side of the pot for this step and step #4. I find that it makes it much easier.) This technique is called a roux and is used to thicken many sauces
3. Microwave the milk in a measuring cup and stop it just before it starts to boil.
4. Pour a little of the milk (about 2 tbsp worth) into the pot and quickly whisk the roux into the milk. Then add a little bit more and quickly continue whisking. You don't want the mixture to be milk with clumps or roux that won't mix in smoothly. Add a little more milk and repeat this process about four times and then it will be safe to add the rest of the milk and quickly whisk and you should be left with a smooth liquid.
5. Then turn the heat up to medium high and cook for about 3 or 4 minutes.
6. Now you can mix in about 1/3 of the cheese at a time. Whisk into the cheese has melted and add more.
7. Once all the cheese has been incorporated add in the salt and nutmeg. (NOTE: Nutmeg may seem odd, but it is used in a lot of traditional Italian and Greek food, both sweet and savory because of the warmth it provides.)
Your sauce and pasta are now done; you can now serve a few spoonfuls of sauce over your pasta.
To Make the Pasta:
Measure out, the flour spooning it into a dry measuring cup. (NOTE: If you simply scoop flour out of your flour container, the flour will be compactor than if you spooned it into the cup and your recipe will not turn out the same because you used too much flour.)
2. Then pour out the flour onto a clean dry counter. Form the flour into a small mound.
Then stick your fingers down into the center of the mound.
Rotate until there is a large crater as pictured with the dotted line.
Top view of crater in flour, this is called a weld.
Then separate a dozen eggs, into two different bowls. I suggest breaking the eggs over your fingers and transferring it from on hand to the other repeatedly until the white has fallen through your fingers and you are left holding the yolk. Use a fork or whisk to break the yolks and slightly mix them up. Then pour them into the center of your mound of flour.
Slowly work the flour into the center with the yolks with your fingers. NOTE: This techniques is hard, I still have problems with preforming this technique without having yolk running out onto the counter so do stress if your weld doesn't work. Just quickly work the flour into the yolk enough that yolk is not running everywhere.) To give you an idea of what this technique looks like here is a You Tube link:
Continue to work the flour and yolk together. Once it is about 3/4 of the way mixed start kneading with the heal of your hand. To knead, push the dough away from you with the heal of your hand and then rotate 45*. Then push away again and continue repeating over and over. Add an egg white and continue kneading. You wont be able to mix in all of the crumbs but try to get some of them. Knead for 10 minutes and add another egg white or two if needed. Be patient, this process takes time. The dough should turn out firm, thoroughly mixed and not sticky. A quick video on how to knead pasta dough properly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGyBP9eRsV8
Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. After allowing the dough to rest roll our the dough, either with a pasta machine or with a heavy rolling pin. Roll out to the thickness of about a dime.
Then cut the dough into Fettuccine noodles. If you are doing this by hand I advice using a ruler and an extra sharp knife. You want the noodles to be all the same time because if they aren't they wont have the same cook time.
Pasta Directions:
Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
Slowly whisk in the flour. (NOTE: I like to tilt the pan so that the butter is only on one side of the pot for this step and step #4. I find that it makes it much easier.) This technique is called a roux and is used to thicken many sauces
Microwave the milk in a measuring cup and stop it just before it starts to boil. Pour a little of the milk (about 2 tbsp worth) into the pot and quickly whisk the roux into the milk. Then add a little bit more and quickly continue whisking. You don't want the mixture to be milk with clumps or roux that won't mix in smoothly. Add a little more milk and repeat this process about four times and then it will be safe to add the rest of the milk and quickly whisk and you should be left with a smooth liquid.
Then turn the heat up to medium high and cook for about 3 or 4 minutes. Now you can mix in about 1/3 of the cheese at a time. Whisk into the cheese has melted and add more. Once all the cheese has been incorporated add in the salt and nutmeg. (NOTE: Nutmeg may seem odd, but it is used in a lot of traditional Italian and Greek food, both sweet and savory because of the warmth it provides.)
Plate some of the pasta and spoon a few spoonfuls of sauce over the pasta.
Enjoy!
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