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Fettuccine Alfredo is my favorite pasta dish. For this recipe, we’ve tagged in Mascarpone instead of the butter/cream combo—why use 2 ingredients, when you can use 1 extremely silky, delightful, luxurious, creamy cheese? Add Grated Parm and a zucchini salad with walnuts add just the right amount of crunch. I subtracted the nuts because I am allergic but all in all it was a great meal.
One of the simplest ways to thicken your sauce is to use flour to thicken your Alfredo. One of the main benefits is that it really doesn’t affect the taste of the sauce, but make sure you don’t overdo it with the flour.
The main drawback of using flour for your Alfredo sauce is it tends to spoil faster, and somehow harder to bring back to life when reheating it for the second day. If you are planning to reheat your Alfredo for the next day, then you can use cornstarch as a substitute thickener.
A different technique is using an organic egg yolk to thicken Alfredo sauce. adding egg yolk to any recipe with milk and cream is a great way to enhance the taste of any sauce.
If want to go all the way than you can add some white cheddar cheese. Start off slow when you are adding the cheese. You can always add more if you feel that is not thick enough yet.
Wine Pairing
Pinot Grigio
Body and Tannins: light-bodied
What goes great with Fettuccine a nice Pinot gris, pinot grigio or Grauburgunder is a white wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. Thought to be a mutant clone of the pinot noir variety, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name but the grapes can have a brownish pink to black and even white appearance.
Pairs Well With These Foods: pasta, raw dishes, light salads, coconut milk, gouda
Tips for cooking Fettuccine pasta
More water the better
Pasta releases a lot of starch when cooking, so it’s important to use a large pot of water. If you were to cook pasta in a small pot of water, the starches would make the water thick and your pasta slimy.
Don’t follow the cooking times on the packaging.
The best way to tell if pasta is done? By simply tasting it. Packaging directions can give you an idea of how long to cook your pasta, but it isn’t foolproof. Not all boiling water is the same.
Reserve some of the cooking liquid in case you need it to make your sauce.
You may have heard people refer to pasta water as “liquid gold,” but why? Because pasta water contains the starches from the pasta, making it perfect for adding into your favorite sauces. The starches help thicken sauces up, make them glossy, and help coat noodles perfectly.
Fettuccine Alfredo with Breadcrumbs & Zucchini Salad
Equipment
- Cheese grater
- colander
- small skillet
- large pot
Ingredients
- Red wine vinegar
- Fresh parsley
- Shallot
- Zucchini
- Fettuccine
- Mascarpone cheese
- Parmesan
- Panko breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Prep ingredients: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Trim ends from shallot, then halve, peel and thinly slice ¼ cup. Finely chop 2 tablespoons of the rest (there may be some leftover). Finely grate 2 blocks of Parmesan. Use a vegetable peeler to shave 3rd block.
- Make topping: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a small skillet over medium-high. Add chopped shallot and cook, stirring until golden, 1–2 minutes. Add panko and 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan, and cook, stirring, until golden, 2–3 minutes. Scrape onto a plate, and season with salt and pepper. Wipe out skillet.
- Prep salad: Coarsely chop walnuts. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in same skillet over medium. Add walnuts and cook, stirring until golden, 4–5 minutes. Transfer to a small plate and sprinkle with salt. Trim ends from zucchini, half lengthwise, then very thinly slice crosswise into half-moons. Pick parsley leaves from stems.
- Cook pasta: Slowly add fettuccine to boiling water in handfuls while stirring. Cook until al dente, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, 9–11 minutes. Reserve ¾ cup pasta water. Drain well and return pasta to pot.
- Make salad: Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine zucchini, sliced shallot, parsley leaves, shaved Parmesan, walnuts, vinegar, and 2 tablespoons oil . Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Finish & serve: Add mascarpone, ½ cup pasta water, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper to pasta. Cook over medium heat, tossing, until sauce is thickened, 1–2 minutes. Off heat, stir in remaining Parmesan in large pinches, until creamy. Stir in 1 tablespoon pasta water to loosen if necessary. Transfer to plates, sprinkle with panko, and serve with salad alongside.
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