The fettuccine alfredo you’ve been ordering at Italian restaurants in Australia is not Italian.
Why you should cook this
The fettuccine alfredo you’ve been ordering at Italian restaurants in Australia is not Italian. It is American. Real Roman alfredo is four ingredients (fresh pasta, butter, parmesan, pasta water) and uses zero cream. No garlic, no parsley, no chicken.
It is one of the simplest pasta dishes in the world. It is also one of the easiest to ruin. The technique, emulsifying butter and parmesan with starchy pasta water, is the entire dish.
What to drink with it
A crisp, light Italian white, Vermentino, Pinot Grigio, Soave. Or a dry martini before. Lemon-dressed rocket on the side.
Notes from the kitchen
Use real Parmigiano Reggiano. Twelve dollars at a deli. The pre-grated stuff in the green tube is salt and cellulose. Pasta water, pasta water, pasta water. The starch in the cooking water is what makes the sauce silky. Save a cup before you drain. Emulsify off the heat. If you toss the butter and parmesan into a hot pan, it will split into oily clumps. The pan should be warm, not hot.
The recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil (1 tbsp salt per litre).
- Cook the fettuccine 1 minute less than the packet says. Just before draining, scoop out 250mL of starchy pasta water.
- Drain the pasta. Return to the warm pot off the heat.
- Add the cold cubed butter and 80mL of pasta water. Toss vigorously with tongs for 30 seconds.
- Add the grated parmesan in three additions, tossing between each. Add more pasta water if needed — the sauce should coat each strand glossily.
- Plate immediately. Top with cracked pepper and another dusting of parmesan. Eat fast — alfredo waits for nobody.
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Two things that go wrong
Greasy split sauce
The pan was too hot when you added the cheese. Off heat, always. Toss off heat for thirty seconds before plating.
Gluey, thick sauce
Not enough pasta water. The starchy water emulsifies the butter and cheese into a sauce. Without it, you get clumpy butter coating gritty pasta.
Variations worth knowing
Cacio e pepe
Skip the butter. Use 100g pecorino instead of parmesan, plus a tablespoon of cracked black pepper toasted in the dry pan. Closer to Roman, even simpler.
Brown butter alfredo
Cook the butter to noisette before adding to the pasta. Hazelnut depth with the cheese.
Lemon alfredo
Add zest of one lemon at the end and a quarter teaspoon of nutmeg. Brighter, dinner-party version.
Leftovers and make ahead
Cold alfredo turns into a brick. Reheat in a pan with two tablespoons of milk per portion, off heat, tossing fast. Will never be as good as fresh. Best to eat what you cook on the night.