Alright another pasta dish. Actually another fettuccine alfredo dish. But I like it better than the other one. There are some differences in the recipe itself, but possibly most notably I changed the cheese used to actually be parmigaiano reggiano rather than pecorino romano. The real test would be to make the old recipe with parmigiano and compare it to this recipe with parmigiano, and for good measure also make them both with pecorino. But even I have to admit that might be too much pasta.
This recipe has a few more ingredients than the first fettuccine recipe I made:
The main differences are the older recipe used 2oz cheese, 4tbsp butter, 1/2 cup heavy cream and this recipe uses 5oz cheese, 2tbsp butter, 2tbsp heavy cream, 2tbsp olive oil, 1 egg and 1 clove garlic. So pretty much double the cheese, replace half the butter with olive oil, add an egg and garlic, and cut back on the heavy cream. Surprisingly both recipes are about even in calories, with the old one around 2796 and the new one at 2930 so taste (and ingredients on hand) are the bigger factors to consider when choosing between them, and for me the new recipe wins.
To prepare mix the cheese, heavy cream, egg, cornstarch, olive oil and some salt and pepper in a large bowl:
Whisk it together (for me it came to a paste like consistency) and save for later:
Next add the pasta to boiling water and cook until al dente (you might want to start this before the other steps – waiting for water to boil is the longest thing). Remember to save some pasta water for later (you actually need it later to thin out that paste like mixture from earlier):
When the pasta is done, toss with garlic and butter in a bowl:
Add the pasta water to the paste like cheese mixture:
return this to the pasta pot:
and then add the pasta/butter/garlic:
and mix well. There is probably a better way to do this so you can use less bowls. But dishes are for after eating, and eating is the good part.
This recipe is creamier than the older one, and has a better flavor (this is probably from the cheese used).
The Recipe:
Prep time: 15mins
Cook time: 10mins
Total time: 25mins
1 lb fettuccine
5 oz (140g) parmesean
2 tbsp heavy cream
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 large egg
1 tsp cornstarch
1 clove garlic
salt and pepper
optional 1/2tsp lemon zest
optional minced fresh parsley or chives
Total weight: 1361g
Total calories: 2930
Bring 2 quarts water and 2 tbsp salt to boil, add pasta and cook until al dente (reserve 2 cups of cooking water). Meanwhile, combine cheese, heavy cream, egg, cornstarch, olive oil and lemon zest in large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and whisk. Toss cooked pasta with butter and garlic. Slowly add 1.5cups pasta water to cheese mixture while whisking, cook until mixture comes to a boil and thickens (~45 seconds). Season with more salt and pepper then add pasta and mix to coat. Serve with minced herbs and black pepper.