Secret ingredient for Alfredo sauce!

[Margi Cintrano]

Mistake On My Part: Alfredo Di Lelio - Rome 1914

To All Those Who Have Posted,

Firstly, the original recipe for Fettuccini Alfredo which dates back to 1914, Rome, a very commercial dish for tourists; consists of:

6 ounces butter
6 ounces of 24 month old Aged and Freshly Grated Reggiano Parmesano cheese ( 2 types )
salt and pepper

2ndly, There are many variations as there are families and chefs who have changed or added or subtracted an ingredient here or there.

To move on, some chefs employ a pinch of nutmeg, some fresh egg fettuccini verses dry pasta ribbons, some people use low fat milk or fat free and cream cheese ... and some use other types of cheeses. This is not Fetticcini Alfredo ... These pastas should be named after their creators. A pinch of nutmeg shall give it a distinct flavor.

Personally, it is not my favourite pasta dish as I am not a butter person; I am a Bolognese Woman ... or a Shellfish Marinara Woman ... red sauces are my more my cup of coffee ...

However, I do prefer the original recipe and freshly ground black pepper corns and a mixture of Pecorino aged Fiore Sardo and the fresh Reggiano Parmesano and a touch of Gran Padano grated cheese ( also an Italian cheese variety, similar to Parmesano however, spicier. )

Here is the common Rome style trattoria changes that have been made; please note that I have never seen this pasta served in Italy except in Rome or in Australia and in North America ... etcetra ...

1 3/4 cup heavy cream
butter
Reggiano Parmesano aged
salt
black pepper

Thanks for posting,
Margaux Cintrano.


Thanks for Interesting Post.
Margi.[/QUOTE]

 

[SaucyChefette]

So, for lunch today I simply added some cheese (and some salmon and an onion) to the leftover noodles I had in the fridge. (No butter, though, I'm on a diet, so used water for the necessary moisture).

It would NEVER have occurred to me, before reading this thread, to try something so simple. Awesome stuff.

 

[masteraznchefjr]

Ran out of salt one day and decided to try soy sauce and miso. It actually tasted quite good!

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Ran out of salt one day and decided to try soy sauce and miso. It actually tasted quite good!

In Alfredo? ... The horror... The horror!!!

 

[no mayonnaise]

I like the addition of fresh minced flat leaf parsley at the end, but my Alfredo usually is just cream, unsalted butter, salt, fresh black pepper ground extra finely, a pinch of fresh ground nutmeg, and fresh grated parmesan/romano sometimes both sometimes one or the other. I feel like this is the basic Alfredo sauce.
What's most important with Alfredo sauce is to serve it in a warmed bowl IMO, since pretty much anything with cream, butter, and cheese is going to taste good. The warm bowl will keep it from getting gloppy and coagulated.
Notice the word most often repeated in my post: Fresh. That's how good Alfredo comes together; fresh ingredients.
I'm not snobby about Alfredo sauce. It can have any number of ingredients or be re-imagined any which way IMO.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I too would add a pinch of nutmeg and a scatter of chopped fresh parsley. But only if I'm sure the Alfredo police won't bust my joint!

 

[Andy M.]

I too would add a pinch of nutmeg and a scatter of chopped fresh parsley. But only if I'm sure the Alfredo police won't bust my joint!

I've already alerted the Alfredo Police of your callous disdain for the purity of "The Sauce" and they will be watching you.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I swear on my Joy of Cooking that I have absolutely no cream or parsley in my possession! Nor do I have any Parmesan cheese except grated Parmesan and only a barbarian would use anything other than fresh Parmesan cheese in Alfredo sauce!

(The grated Parmesan is for sprinkling on take out Italian food! Honest!)

 

[Addie]

I've already alerted the Alfredo Police of your callous disdain for the purity of "The Sauce" and they will be watching you.

I am armed with my rolling pin and on my way!

 

[Addie]

I swear on my Joy of Cooking that I have absolutely no cream or parsley in my possession! Nor do I have any Parmesan cheese except grated Parmesan and only a barbarian would use anything other than fresh Parmesan cheese in Alfredo sauce!

(The grated Parmesan is for sprinkling on take out Italian food! Honest!)

I have a big chunk in my fridge. It cost a whole $4.99 a pound. And yes. It is the real thing. It has the stamp on the rind and I saw him cut it from the wheel. Eat your heart out.

 

[Andy M.]

I swear on my Joy of Cooking that I have absolutely no cream or parsley in my possession! Nor do I have any Parmesan cheese except grated Parmesan and only a barbarian would use anything other than fresh Parmesan cheese in Alfredo sauce!

(The grated Parmesan is for sprinkling on take out Italian food! Honest!)

The police have asked me to inform you parmesan cheese in any form is unacceptable!

You must use only authentic Parmigiano Reggiano imported from Italy. Nothing else will do.

 

[Barbara L]

I don't hate nutmeg and cinnamon but IMHO they belong in desserts not savory dishes!!

I pretty much agree, with one main exception--Swedish Meatballs. A bit of nutmeg gives them their distinctive flavor.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I have a big chunk in my fridge. It cost a whole $4.99 a pound. And yes. It is the real thing. It has the stamp on the rind and I saw him cut it from the wheel. Eat your heart out.

My favorite all around eating (and cooking) cheese is Gruyere and I keep some around all the time. I sometimes buy Parmesan depending on what I'm cooking. The slab kind not the already grated kind.

 

[Andy M.]

My favorite all around eating (and cooking) cheese is Gruyere and I keep some around all the time. I sometimes buy Parmesan depending on what I'm cooking. The slab kind not the already grated kind.

Gruyere is one of my top favorites as well. Love it on a burger.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

I make a pretty mean scalloped potatoes with potatoes, onions, grated Gruyere cheese, fresh parsley and cream, dotted with butter on the top. Of course anybody could put their favorite cheese in that recipe.

 

[taxlady]

I usually by the grated Parmesan. At $30-40/kg for the slab stuff, a small chunk ain't cheap. The grated Parmesan that we get is really good. We don't notice any difference between it and slab Parm that we grate ourselves.

 

[Greg Who Cooks]

Your cheese prices seem pretty high. IIRC Parmesan is usually $5.99 or $6.99 per 8 oz. wedge in our supermarkets. My Swiss raw milk aged 120 days Gruyere is $10.99 per lb. at Trader Joe's.

However I guess that US$ 7 per 8 oz. is about CA$ 31 per kg...

There's always Velveeta...

 

[jonnyjonny_uk]

I came to read this thread because I didn't know what Alfredo sauce was (blush) Ten pages later I have had a very interesting read, learnt a lot and now know the recipe:-

Butter, Cheese, Wine, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Hot sauce, Pasta water, Parsley and......ermmmmm what else was there

Ok ok, I'm joking, I'm sticking with Andy's recipe source

 

[taxlady]

Your cheese prices seem pretty high. IIRC Parmesan is usually $5.99 or $6.99 per 8 oz. wedge in our supermarkets. My Swiss raw milk aged 120 days Gruyere is $10.99 per lb. at Trader Joe's.

However I guess that US$ 7 per 8 oz. is about CA$ 31 per kg...

There's always Velveeta...

How would Velveeta be better than already grated Parmesan? I don't even know how much Velveeta costs here - I don't buy it.

My extra old, raw milk, organic cheddar was something like $5.99 for 250 grams (~$11/lb), so it's not all bad. And that is one fine, prize winning cheese.

 

[Andy M.]

You pay around $5 to $7 per pound for parmesan. I pay $14-$18 a pound for Parmigiano Reggiano. I have never seen the real thing for less than $10/Lb.