Of Fettucine and Garden Gnomes
Thanks for visiting, it would suck to throw a blog and have no-one show! And Neith! How did you know I would read under the covers! I also used to put my dad's old transistor radio under my pillow and listen to horrible pop rock (and the occasional bit of 'good stuff') of the sixties and seventies late at night when my parents thought I was asleep :). I've always wonder what they made of the fact the batteries in the flashlight were dead every time they wanted to use it....and AA's just dematerialized into the ether...
First things first, there have been a rash of inexplicable disappearences in France and other places in Europe, police are puzzled...
http://www.nthposition.com/gnomeliberation.php
Are they victims of kidnap or are they actually convinced of their superiority over humankind and are secretly massing in the woods for an eventual take-over?...All I know is the pic of the forest full of 'freindly' gnomes looks a little intimidating to me, but then, I was also scared of clowns as a kid....:)
Ahh now to the main course, Fettucine Alfredo...
I have a special fondness for this dish as it was one of the first 'gourmet' dishes that I was ever exposed to. As much as anything else, it led me into cooking, something that I hadn't really been exposed to at the time...My mother's food was edible but pretty bland mid-western stuff (although thank the gods, she didn't boil or fry absolutely everything) and neither of my parents ever developed any taste for spice...or even garlic. Fettucine Alfredo was from the first bite, a revelation, a sudden knowledge that this was what people talked about when they said the word 'food'. It opened a world for me, and not just culinary... My tastebuds and worldviews have been constantly changing as they've been challenged over the years by odd foods and the odd people who cook them. I have finally even aquired a taste for goat cheese in my old age...but fettucine stands alone, my first love...
Here's the recipe, it's a little vaugue in places, but it isn't exactly a 'precise' dish, you do a bit of adjustment 'to taste' as you go along. The recipe given is for at least 4-6 people, feel free to half the ingredients for a little less. Don't worry about leftovers. With this dish they almost never happen, and there is a certain joy in finding enough left in the fridge for lunch the next day...
Fettucine Alfredo (Traditional Style)
Bring to rolling boil:
12c. Water
1Tbsp. Oil (olive or grapeseed)
1 tsp. Salt
When boiling, add 1 lb pasta of one's choice. Lower heat to medium and simmer pasta approximately10-12 minutes until al dente.
In Large skillet melt on medium-high heat:
½ to 1/3 stick butter (about ¼ to 1/3 cup)
Add:
1 Tbsp. Finely minced shallot
2-3 Tbsp finely chopped garlic (about a whole head)
½ tsp. White pepper
½ tsp. Salt
Saute for a minute until garlic begins to release it's aromas.
Stir in:
2 ½- 3 C. half and half
Bring cream mixture to boiling, reduce heat to low simmer, stirring occasionally (watch out! if the heat is too high the cream will boil over, which is messy!). As the mixture cooks, thick cream will form on the sides of the pan, stir this back in as this thickens the rest of the sauce. Cook for 12- 15 minutes or so - until cream mixture has thickened enough to coat the bottom of a spoon.
Remove from heat and stir in:
¾-1 C. shredded or grated fresh parmesean cheese
Adjust salt and white pepper to taste.
Serve with pasta, makes 4-6 servings as a main course, 8-12 as an appetizer or side dish.
This is a variation that I sometimes serve my family:
With Ginger Shrimp....
Over medium-high heat melt:
1-2 Tbsp butter or coco oil
Add and sautee for a moment until aromas are released:
1Tbsp minced garlic
1Tbsp grated fresh ginger
white pepper
salt
dash sriracha or 'rooster' sauce (optional)
Add to pan, sautee until pink:
½ pound shelled raw shrimp
Set aside, add to alfredo sauce after cheese.
Of course, once you have the basics of this sauce, there are several variations that can be made...
Use Gorgonzola, Goat Chevre, or Brie instead of Parmesean
For a lighter, more preservable sauce use milk or broth for part of the cream (less than half tho, otherwise it might not thicken enough)
Add lightly sauteed veggies for 'pasta primavera'
Add raspberry vinegar to the sauce with the cream for a raspberry-cream sauce that is great with seafood...
There you go, Bon Appetit!
First things first, there have been a rash of inexplicable disappearences in France and other places in Europe, police are puzzled...
http://www.nthposition.com/gnomeliberation.php
Are they victims of kidnap or are they actually convinced of their superiority over humankind and are secretly massing in the woods for an eventual take-over?...All I know is the pic of the forest full of 'freindly' gnomes looks a little intimidating to me, but then, I was also scared of clowns as a kid....:)
Ahh now to the main course, Fettucine Alfredo...
I have a special fondness for this dish as it was one of the first 'gourmet' dishes that I was ever exposed to. As much as anything else, it led me into cooking, something that I hadn't really been exposed to at the time...My mother's food was edible but pretty bland mid-western stuff (although thank the gods, she didn't boil or fry absolutely everything) and neither of my parents ever developed any taste for spice...or even garlic. Fettucine Alfredo was from the first bite, a revelation, a sudden knowledge that this was what people talked about when they said the word 'food'. It opened a world for me, and not just culinary... My tastebuds and worldviews have been constantly changing as they've been challenged over the years by odd foods and the odd people who cook them. I have finally even aquired a taste for goat cheese in my old age...but fettucine stands alone, my first love...
Here's the recipe, it's a little vaugue in places, but it isn't exactly a 'precise' dish, you do a bit of adjustment 'to taste' as you go along. The recipe given is for at least 4-6 people, feel free to half the ingredients for a little less. Don't worry about leftovers. With this dish they almost never happen, and there is a certain joy in finding enough left in the fridge for lunch the next day...
Fettucine Alfredo (Traditional Style)
Bring to rolling boil:
12c. Water
1Tbsp. Oil (olive or grapeseed)
1 tsp. Salt
When boiling, add 1 lb pasta of one's choice. Lower heat to medium and simmer pasta approximately10-12 minutes until al dente.
In Large skillet melt on medium-high heat:
½ to 1/3 stick butter (about ¼ to 1/3 cup)
Add:
1 Tbsp. Finely minced shallot
2-3 Tbsp finely chopped garlic (about a whole head)
½ tsp. White pepper
½ tsp. Salt
Saute for a minute until garlic begins to release it's aromas.
Stir in:
2 ½- 3 C. half and half
Bring cream mixture to boiling, reduce heat to low simmer, stirring occasionally (watch out! if the heat is too high the cream will boil over, which is messy!). As the mixture cooks, thick cream will form on the sides of the pan, stir this back in as this thickens the rest of the sauce. Cook for 12- 15 minutes or so - until cream mixture has thickened enough to coat the bottom of a spoon.
Remove from heat and stir in:
¾-1 C. shredded or grated fresh parmesean cheese
Adjust salt and white pepper to taste.
Serve with pasta, makes 4-6 servings as a main course, 8-12 as an appetizer or side dish.
This is a variation that I sometimes serve my family:
With Ginger Shrimp....
Over medium-high heat melt:
1-2 Tbsp butter or coco oil
Add and sautee for a moment until aromas are released:
1Tbsp minced garlic
1Tbsp grated fresh ginger
white pepper
salt
dash sriracha or 'rooster' sauce (optional)
Add to pan, sautee until pink:
½ pound shelled raw shrimp
Set aside, add to alfredo sauce after cheese.
Of course, once you have the basics of this sauce, there are several variations that can be made...
Use Gorgonzola, Goat Chevre, or Brie instead of Parmesean
For a lighter, more preservable sauce use milk or broth for part of the cream (less than half tho, otherwise it might not thicken enough)
Add lightly sauteed veggies for 'pasta primavera'
Add raspberry vinegar to the sauce with the cream for a raspberry-cream sauce that is great with seafood...
There you go, Bon Appetit!
posted by juno jones at 10:06 PM
10 Comments:
But I'm trying to reduce, juno. The thick cream on the sides of the pan will put an end to that fantasy, not to mention the cheeses.
What wine do you recommend?
Oh, and what time should I arrive?
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Yeah, I know, it's a bit heavy for an everyday meal kinda thing, (although my husband wishes it were every day...) I just chalk it up to 'spice of life':),I'll post healthier things I'm sure, but just had to get this one out of my system.... As for wine, my current fave is 'Smoking Loon' Merlot or Syrah... Around here dinner has become a fashionably late affair, with us sitting down at around 8pm, all you gotta do is bring the 'Smoking Loon'...:)...J
Done deal.
OMG - that sounds heavenly, Juno!!! I will definitely take the liberty of copying that . . . all that cream, yum!!! We grow very good hard neck garlic...you know, the kind with the big cloves & LOTS of flavor. I usually use two or three thumb sized cloves when the recipe calls for one. The only time I miss having a good milk cow is for cooking w/cream & butter . . . and, of course, homemade ice cream. Waistline is history now & that would be the finishing touch . . . :-)
MMMM sounds divine!
I once worked in a cheese store, and one day a huge wheel of Parmesan cheese arrived from Italy. I took the shop sword and made the first cut. Golden liquid came out and the taste of this aged milk that had never been in the air before was one of the most incredibly pleasurable experiences of my life. Pure gold. You gotta cook with this stuff, Juno. Your husband, well, you know. He likes whatever your hands touch.
God, jm - worked in a cheese store?! With really GOOD cheeses?! Salivating just thinking about it . . . really fresh grated parmesan is to die for. :-)
yup, neith, a cheese store. The cheeses were great, but the job was the worst for a Satutn/Pluto in Leo in the 5th. I smiled and helped the whole world get fatter till I finally quit and with jubilation went forward in my songwriting and piano playing life. The salamis were too greasy though, and the slicing machine was evil. Scared the Camenbert out of me.
Cheese, Gronmmit, cheese! I love cheese, but I've had to cut down a lot in recent years, my body just doesn't deal with it as well as I would like...Years ago when I lived in Berkeley ther was an honest-to-god cheese shop across the street from where I worked, and every payday would see me over there getting some new nugget to taste. Of course I grew up on the WI border, home of some of the best cheese around...still haven't found any swiss cheese as good as that...J
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