Fettuccine Alfredo

Pasta is another classic comfort food, and although my favorite pasta dishes number in, oh, probably all of them, fettuccine alfredo is pretty near the top of the list for me. The thing about alfredo is that it is almost always a disappointment when I go out to eat and order it.

I really am not a fan of the Olive Garden. I think that their food is overpriced and mediocre, although I will admit I love their butter-drenched breadsticks. The times I've gone there, I've usually ordered the alfredo and when it came, it was already a mess of separating sauce and overdone pasta, or it was a pile of pasta absolutely drowning in sauce. I prefer a lighter touch with the sauce, with the fettuccine barely moistened by the sauce, but that's just me. Another great thing about making it yourself is that you can add as little or as much of the sauce as you like.

The thing is, it is so easy to make you'll never go out for alfredo again. Alfredo should be devoured eaten almost as soon as it hits your bowl. You may curse me when you try this for yourself and see how easy it is.You can suit just about anyone's taste for ingredients and the amount of sauce, too, so it is totally win-win.

Fettuccine Alfredo

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. whole wheat fettucine
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 3 T salted butter, cut into 1/2 T slices
• 1/2 cup freshly grated  parmesan or romano
• granulated garlic
• salt 
• pepper
• parsley

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta until it's al dente, still firm when you bite into it, not mushy, but not still crunchy. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat the cream in a skillet until it starts to bubble at the edges. Add the butter, a smidge (oh, a pinch, less than 1/8 t) of granulated garlic, salt and pepper and let cook until the butter melts into the cream. Taste it to check for seasoning.
3. Add  1/3 cup of the cheese and stir well until it melts into the sauce.
4. Toss the pasta into the skillet and mix well, serve, topped with fresh herbs like parsley or basil, plus additional grated cheese and eat immediately.

Notes:

• You can mix in all sorts of things: shrimp, chicken, vegetables, but I like it plain with just the peas and really good-quality cheese.
• I used some locatelli pecorino romano which I usually use in risotto, but man, it works nicely in this too.
• I used whole wheat fettuccine, which is why it looks a bit dark in the photo. I usually try to make the dish a little less of a perilous assault on my blood sugar levels.
• If you like a lot more sauce with your fettuccine than you see in the photo, you can easily adjust the amount of pasta.
• This recipe easily doubles or quadruples to feed more people or people with enormous appetites.

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Risotto with Pancetta and Peas

Last night I had such a craving for a nice risotto, but I wanted something different from my two standbys, Wild Mushroom Risotto with Pancetta and Thyme and Spinach Risotto with Toasted Pine Nuts. Now, while perusing the Chow discussion boards, I came across what I call the Holy Grail of risottos, a Toasted Pistachio Gorgonzola Dolce risotto so rich and sumptuous that I can only imagine allowing myself to make it as a very special occasion. Of course it might well be the case that the special occasion is making that risotto.

Nevertheless, in order to do justice to the exacting recipe (I still have not found a truly excellent olive oil), I decided to wait. Setting that decadent recipe aside *deep sigh of longing* I continued to search out something new. I found a Sweet Carrot Risotto which looks absolutely divine. The only problem was that I had only one measly carrot in my vegetable drawer. I didn't feel like going out to the store for 2 bags of organic carrots, so I kept looking.

I stumbled across a delicious-looking Pumpkin Risotto at La Cucina Italiana. Perfect, I thought. I have several packages of pumpkin puree in the freezer from last fall. I could thaw one out and be all set with a creamy, luscious dish of savory pumpkin goodness. The recipe as it stood was not exactly what I craved, but I thought I could experiment a bit and tweak it. The problem? Once I had the pumpkin half-thawed in the microwave, it had a funky smell to it. Argh. So aggravating!

By that time I already had the pancetta diced and the shallots minced. What to do? I took another foray into my freezer and spied a bag of frozen peas. Ok. Pancetta and Pea Risotto. Simple, but still sublime.

Risotto with Pancetta and Peas

Ingredients:

• 1/8 oz. pancetta
• olive oil
• butter
• shallots, finely minced
• garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup Arborio rice
• 1/4 cup white wine
  
• chicken broth, heated
• 1/2 cup peas
• 1/2 cup grated pecorino romano
  

Directions:

1. Heat the chicken broth in a saucepan.
   


2. In a wide skillet, saute the diced pancetta in a bit of olive oil over medium high heat until browned. remove the pancetta and set aside.
   


3. To the mixture of hot oil and rendered fat, add a tablespoon of unsalted butter and let melt and foam. Add the shallots and saute for one minute, then add the garlic. Stir well for another minute and do not let burn.
   


4. Add the rice and stir until well coated.
   


5. Add the white wine and stir until all the liquid is absorbed.
   


6. Add the hot stock one ladleful at a time, until it is all absorbed into the rice. Stir very well.
   


7. After about 15 minutes after you added the first ladle of stock, the liquid should start to look creamy from the starch released by the rice. Taste the rice for doneness. It should be firm, but not chalky in the center.
   


8. Add one more ladle of stock and stir in the cheese. Fold in the peas and the pancetta and stir until heated through. You may add a bit more butter if you like.
   


9. Plate in a shallow bowl and garnish with more grated pecorino. Serve immediately.
   

Notes:

1. For some reason, every single time I cook with pancetta, I smoke up the entire house. I never have this problem with regular old bacon or smoked sausages, but the pancetta sends smoke up billowing. I have to run the downstairs ceiling fans, open all the windows and the front door to clear the place out.
   
   I have tried frying it in a dry pan, in an oiled pan, in a buttered pan, but the result is always the same. Next time I may try a lower flame and see if that makes a difference.
   


2. For some reason, when I make risotto, I prefer pecorino romano to parmigianno reggiano.
   


3. For this recipe, I found that extra salt and pepper are unnecessary. The pancetta is plenty peppery on its own, and cooking the rice in the rendered fat infuses the risotto with all that flavor. The chicken broth adds the necessary salt.
   

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