Uncle Richard's Fettuccini Alfredo

 

This delicious recipe comes direct from my Uncle Richard, who makes this dish pretty much any time my family gets together for any reason.  It is a staple in our clan.  This was the first time I've ever attempted to make it and it turned out surprisingly well.  I have to keep reminding myself not to get bummed that mine doesn't taste exactly like Richard's.  Well, really, he's been making fettuccini for over two decades, so his is definitely going to be tastier than mine.  I paired the fettuccini with some fresh lemon slices that, when squeezed over the fettuccini, taste great.  Also steamed some carrot, broccoli and cauliflower.  I wanted to make some fresh garlic bread, but I forgot to buy some at the market today.  Regardless, we loved it.  The recipe below is cut in half from his original as there are only 2 of us.  We both ate plenty and have a bowl with leftovers, which is big enough to be a meal for one of us tomorrow.

Before you start cooking:

• Set stick of butter on counter to soften before cooking.
• Finely grate fresh parmesan because you won't have time to do it after you start cooking.
• Peel and mince your garlic and set aside.
• Slice your lemon (optional) - we like to squeeze a little bit onto the fettuccini once on our plates. Also looks nice in the larger serving dish.

Here's the Recipe:

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Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. fettuccini noodles
• 1/2 TB olive oil
• 1 stick butter
• 2 cups of Half and Half (found near the milk at the grocery store)
• 1/3-1/2 lb. finely grated fresh parmesan
• 1/2 head of garlic, minced (at least about 7 medium or large cloves)
• Grated pepper and salt to taste
• 1/2 TB salt to be used during the noodle cooking

Method:

1. Bring water to boil in large pot.
2. Add 1/2 TB salt and 1/2 TB olive oil to water.
3. Once boiling, add fettuccini noodles (follow directions on pasta package as different brands cook at different speeds).
4. Place a strainer in the sink and drain noodles.  DO NOT RINSE NOODLES.
5. Return empty pot to stove and turn to med-low heat.
6. Add the stick of butter to the pan and melt.  Be careful not to burn butter.
7. Add minced garlic to pot and cook until the garlic turns blond in color, 2-3 minutes.  Again, careful not to let it burn, as it can happen rather quickly.
8. Add the half and half to the pot.
9. Add the cheese to the pot, stirring often with wooden spoon to keep cheese from sticking to bottom.
10. Once the sauce starts to bubble, the cheese melts and the sauce will thicken (about 3 minutes).
11. Turn off heat.
12. Stir noodles into the sauce until well combined.  Should be quite thick and sticking to the noodles.  Here I added more cheese, fresh cracked pepper and crushed sea salt and mixed well.  
13. We put the whole mixture into a serving bowl and garnished with lemon slices.  Richard notes that you can also add some chopped parsley for garnish. 
14. Once on our plates, we squeezed a bit of lemon, added some more pepper and salt and more parmesan to taste.  Enjoy!!!

 

Quite easy and takes very little time at all!  Big thanks to my uncle Richard for sharing his awesome recipe with me!