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Fettuccine al Burro

Fettuccine al Burro 01 Fettuccine al Burro 02

YouTube: Fettuccine al Burro

October 17, 2022: Here I go trying a recipe I saw on the Internet, except this one doesn't have a ton of bacon in it. In fact, it's the classic Italian recipe for what they call the original fettuccine Alfredo. It's fettuccine al burro, which is fettucine with butter. And yes, there's a lot of butter, but what's essential to this dish is some good parmesan cheese. I don't mean the grated stuff you get at the store in the pasta aisle, I mean the fancier stuff from the deli counter, or an International market. It definitely gives this dish a wonderful cheese flavor that you won't believe, especially since we're using only four ingredients here: pasta, butter, good parmesan cheese, and water. There's no cream in this dish, and no chicken either.

Pans needed: Stock pot for boiling water. A 10 inch cast iron skillet to prepare the pasta.

Ingredients

(I've made this recipe using the typical "grated cheese" that sells in the pasta aisle at the supermarket. While fettuccine with cheap grated cheese isn't bad, it really doesn't compare with a dish of this pasta made with higher grade parmesan cheese. That's not really surprising; it's like comparing store-bought mac and cheese to what you make at home. The cheaper stuff is okay and you won't mind it…until you try the higher grade cheese and see what a remarkable difference it makes.)

This is a good opportunity to point out some of the basics for making a good pot of pasta. First, don't use oil in the water because it doesn't do anything, and don't be afraid of using salt. Bring the water to a rolling boil, and gently stir in the fettuccine. You don't have to break it in half to make it fit. Cover the pot for about a minute, but be careful it doesn't boil over. After this, uncover the pot and keep on gently stirring the pasta, and after a few minutes, start tasting it until it has just the right consistency. After only a few minutes it will be just right.

Meanwhile, while the water is boiling, start gently heating up a cast iron skillet, and melt half a stick of butter. This recipe calls for half as much butter as pasta, and frankly that's a lot of butter.

Be sure to drain the pasta and reserve the pasta water, because it's easier to dump it out of the colander instead of scooping it out of the water a little at a time. Stir the pasta around in the skillet, and coat every bit of it in the butter. Add some of the cheese, then add about half a cup of the pasta water. Keeping the heat on the pan, in order for the water to reduce and thicken into a cheesy sauce. After mixing in a little more cheese, it becomes a gooey sauce, and we're ready to serve. Sprinkle on some more cheese and some fresh parsley, and enjoy.