Our friends, Bob and Bert Villing, live in an 1800’s farmhouse down the road from us. Bob grows asparagus, and lots of it. We were the happy recipients of several pounds of this springtime vegetable. We’ve eaten the asparagus raw, out of hand (if you’ve never eaten raw asparagus, you’re in for a treat) and grilled just until crisp tender with a sprinkling of lemon pepper and tarragon. 

We still had some left, so I added steamed asparagus to fettuccine Alfredo that I made for supper yesterday. 

The bright green and crunch of the asparagus really complimented the creamy sauce. 

Now you may think of fettuccine Alfredo as a fancy restaurant dish. Well, that’s not untrue. It’s my husband, Frank’s, favorite entre when dining at Italian restaurants.

True fettuccine Alfredo contains just three ingredients:  fettuccine pasta, high-fat butter, and authentic Italian Parmigiano Reggiano. The water clinging to the pasta helps thicken the sauce. 

That’s the method Cincinnati Chef Jimmy Gherardi likes best, and if you’re privileged to eat the pasta in Rome (the birthplace of fettuccine Alfredo), as I’ve done, it’s usually prepared table-side with fresh, not dried, pasta.

But there are other recipes that are super tasty, as well, and which give you a little more leeway, preparation wise. 

I’d like to share one of my family’s favorite fettuccine Alfredo dishes that uses dried fettuccine, butter, whipping cream and Parmigiano Reggiano. Use high quality Parmigiano Reggiano. It melts nicely and the flavor is distinct. Oh, and a tiny bit of garlic powder. Except for pepper, that’s it. Serve it plain or adorned with steamed spring vegetables like asparagus or broccoli. Grilled chicken, sliced thin, adds a good amount of protein, so go for that if you like.

Frank’s fettuccine Alfredo 

Don’t go heavy on the garlic powder. It should be a nuance in the sauce, not a shout. 

Ingredients

16 oz dried fettuccine pasta

1 cup/8 oz butter – I used unsalted

12 oz whipping cream, unwhipped

Scant 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)

1-1/2 cups Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, finely shredded or grated (5 oz or so) plus extra for garnish

Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add fettuccine and cook according to package directions. When it’s almost done, start making your sauce. 

For the sauce, chunk up butter and add to large skillet. Stir in garlic powder. Turn heat to medium and add whipping cream. Bring to a boil, whisking as you go, then reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook a few minutes to thicken a bit.

Gradually stir in cheese and whisk for a couple of minutes, until cheese melts. 

Add pepper.

Start adding drained pasta to the sauce, stirring to coat the pasta.

Now if you want an extra creamy sauce, add most, but not all, of the pasta. Up to you. 

Serve with a shower of cheese.

Gilding the lily

As mentioned above, steamed broccoli or asparagus and/or grilled chicken, are tasty additions.