Homemade Fettuccine Alfredo and Garlic Bread

Kids! Tonight's dinner was delightful!  My house smells A-MAY-zing.

We have always been lovers of fettuccine Alfredo in this house.  We love butter and cheese, especially when it's hot.  I've made homemade fettuccine Alfredo here at home for years.  However, of late, it has been quite awhile.  I had a special request this morning and so I thought "Yeah, that sounds fantastic!"  And so I stopped by the grocery store, picked up some of this and some of that, and proceeded to the kitchen.

Now, I LOVE the movie Moonstruck...yeah...the one with Cher and Nicholas Cage.  There is nothing about this movie that I do not love.  I know all of the words, I have seen it dozens of times.  There is something homey, nostalgic, and comforting about this movie and it makes me hungry every time I watch it.  It has some excellent dialogue, interesting characters and I recommend it hands down.

Anyway, it also has an excellent soundtrack, perfect for cooking to.  You can sing along with some of it, or just roll around in the emotions that some of this fantastic music brings to the surface while you dip your wooden spoon here, and tweek the heat on the stove there, and fix your salad in a flurry of lettuce and cucumbers.

So...armed with fresh Parmigiano Reggiano and Romano Cheeses, some unsalted butter, and heavy cream, along with my trusty wooden spoon and my chef's knife I went to work.

The dinner consisted of the following: Fettuccine Alfredo, Broiled Garlic Bread and a Green Salad with Zinfandel Vinaigrette.  All of the recipes can be found below.

Let's start with the Alfredo sauce and fettuccine.  This recipe was based off of the Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe from Emeril Lagasse.  Minor modifications have been made, by me.

Fettuccine Alfredo

Ingredients:

Pasta:

• 1 lb Dried Fettucine
• Water
• Olive Oil

Sauce: 

• 8 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
• 1 Shallot, minced (opt for the shallot instead of a regular onion, the flavor was fantastic)
• 1/2 Tbsp minced Garlic (I used garlic from my Costco jar I bought that I keep in the fridge)
• 1 1/2 C. Heavy Cream (Heavy Whipping Cream)
• 1/2 C. finely grated Parmigiano-Regiano Cheese**
• 1/2 C. finely grated Romano Cheese**
• 1/2 tsp Salt

**I grated 1 C. of each and used half for the fettuccine, and the other half for the garlic bread and for topping the fettuccine.

Optional:

• Black Pepper
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Fresh Parsley

Directions:

Bring a pot of water with salt and olive oil to a boil.  Add in the fettuccine.  Boil as directed, making sure to stir regularly so that the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.  Drain, reserving 1/2 C. of the pasta cooking water.

While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium to medium-high heat. Add the minced shallots and the garlic and saute until tender.  Add in the cream and bring it to a simmer.  Cook the sauce until it has slightly reduced, about 5 minutes, remove from the heat.

Once strained, add the pasta back into the pot it was cooked in and set over medium-high heat along with the cooking liquid.  Stir.  Add in the butter-cream mixture and half of the shredded Parmesan and Romano cheeses and toss to combine.  Season with the salt, and if choosing to use it the black pepper and red pepper flakes.

Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and Romano cheeses and garnish with parsley, if desired. Serve immediately.

Garlic Bread

Ingredients: 

• 1 Loaf of French Bread
• 1 Stick of Unsalted Butter
• Salt
• Pepper
• Parsley
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder 
• 1/2 C. finely grated Romano cheese
• 1/2 C. finely grated Parmigiano-Regiano cheese 

In a microwave safe bowl soften and slightly melt the butter.   Add in the seasonings, mixing well.

Slice the French bread in half and then each of those halves in half.  If you prefer, you may cut the bread into slices.  Place bread slices on a broiler pan.

Spread the butter mixture on the French bread, followed by the cheeses. 

Broil the bread until cheese is melted and the bread is golden and toasty on the edges.  Be careful not to burn.

Serve hot with the fettuccine.

Green Salad with Vinaigrette

Ingredients: 

• 1 small head of Red Leaf Lettuce, torn into pieces
• 1 medium sized Cucumber, peeled, sliced in half, and then sliced into half moons
• 8-10 Cherry Tomatoes, sliced in half
• Several rings of Red Onion, sliced thinly, and cut in half

Vinaigrette: 

• Olive Oil
• O Zinfandel Wine Vinegar (or you can use another red wine vinegar as you please)
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Salt

I like to use a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio of Olive Oil to Vinegar when I make my vinaigrettes.  For this one, it was closer to the 3:1 ratio.  In a container with a secure lid, add in the oil, then the vinegar, add the seasonings to taste.

Shake well, and then give it a taste to see if the flavor is right.  Is it tart enough, too tart, enough salt and etc.  Adjust if needs be.  Dress salad and then gently toss.

Serve.