Scroll to open
Fettuccine Alfredo
Two ingredients on the pasta: butter and parmigiano. The emulsion comes from starchy pasta water whipped through the cheese. The cream came later, the marketing came after that.
Total time
15 minutes
Serves
2
Difficulty
Easy
Origin
Rome, 1908
"My wife could not eat, the pregnancy had taken her appetite. So I made her pasta the way babies want food. White. Soft. Warm. Butter and cheese, nothing more, and she ate.
"Alfredo di Lelio · 1908
Use real parmigiano reggiano, not the green tin. The aged crystals are what give the sauce its bite and its texture.
Reserve a full cup of pasta water before draining. You will use more than you expect to get the sauce loose and shiny.
