Egg fettuccine, butter and Parmigiano Reggiano tossed together until they form a smooth, silky coating. A three-ingredient Roman pasta recipe with one important difference from its American cousin: no cream.
Finely grate the 200 g Parmigiano Reggiano DOP and set it aside. The finer the cheese is grated, the more easily it will melt into the sauce during tossing without forming lumps.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Salt it lightly, as Parmigiano Reggiano is already quite savoury, then cook the egg fettuccine until al dente. Fresh fettuccine will take only a few minutes; if using dried pasta, follow the cooking time on the packet.
Before draining, reserve at least 250 ml of the pasta cooking water. You'll need it to create the creamy sauce.
Place the 120 g room-temperature butter in a large pan with enough room to toss the fettuccine comfortably. Add 2–3 tablespoons of hot pasta water and allow the butter to soften and begin to melt.
Don't let it fry or brown. You simply want the butter to become soft and creamy.
Transfer the fettuccine to the pan while they are still slightly wet and toss gently with kitchen tongs, adding a little pasta water at a time.
Keep tossing until the butter evenly coats the pasta. Be particularly gentle if you're using fresh fettuccine, as the strands can break more easily.
Take the pan off the heat and add the Parmigiano Reggiano a little at a time, continuously tossing the fettuccine.
Alternate the cheese with small amounts of hot pasta water whenever needed. The Parmigiano should gradually blend with the butter and starchy water, creating a creamy sauce without forming lumps.
Continue tossing until you have a smooth, glossy and silky sauce that evenly coats the fettuccine.
If the sauce becomes too thick, add another tablespoon of pasta water at a time until you reach the right consistency. Taste and adjust the salt only at the end, if necessary.
Divide the fettuccine between the plates as soon as you've finished tossing them and serve immediately.
Fettuccine Alfredo are at their best straight away. As they cool, the butter and Parmigiano quickly thicken and the sauce begins to lose its silky texture.
Servings 4
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Start with quality ingredients: With only three ingredients, quality really matters. Choose a good-quality cultured butter and Parmigiano Reggiano DOP aged for at least 24 months. If you prefer a stronger, more pronounced flavour, you can use a 36-month aged Parmigiano instead.
Grate the Parmigiano as finely as possible: Grate it just before you need it, aiming for an almost powder-like texture. The finer the cheese, the more easily it will melt and blend into the sauce without forming lumps.
Always add the Parmigiano off the heat: When it's time to add the cheese, turn off the heat and move the pan away from the hob. If the pan is too hot, the Parmigiano can seize and form lumps instead of blending smoothly with the butter and pasta water.
Add the pasta water gradually: Don't pour it all in at once. Add the cooking water one tablespoon at a time, tossing continuously and watching the consistency. Stop when the sauce is fluid, glossy and coats the fettuccine beautifully.
Fettuccine and tagliatelle aren't quite the same: Although they look very similar, fettuccine are generally narrower than traditional Emilian tagliatelle. For this recipe, we're sticking with fettuccine.
Black pepper is optional: It isn't necessary in the original version we're making here. If you enjoy a little peppery contrast, however, you can grind some over the pasta just before serving.
Serve without delay: Fettuccine Alfredo don't like to wait. As the pasta cools, the butter and Parmigiano quickly thicken and that beautifully creamy texture begins to disappear. It's best to have everyone at the table before you finish tossing the pasta.
Today, mention Fettuccine Alfredo in the United States and almost everyone knows what you're talking about. In Italy, things are a little different: many Italians would simply think of fettuccine with butter and Parmigiano. Yet the name Americans know so well comes directly from Rome.
That name is Alfredo Di Lelio.
According to the story passed down by his family, Alfredo prepared an especially rich plate of fettuccine with butter and Parmigiano for his wife, Ines, who needed to regain her strength after giving birth to their first child. It began as a nourishing meal made for her, long before it became a restaurant speciality.
In 1914, Di Lelio opened his restaurant on Via della Scrofa, in the centre of Rome, and the fettuccine found their way onto the menu. There was nothing complicated about the ingredients: egg pasta, butter and Parmigiano. Part of the experience was the presentation, with the fettuccine famously tossed and finished in front of the guests.
Then, in the 1920s, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks sat down at one of Alfredo's tables. They were two of the biggest stars of American silent cinema and were travelling through Europe on their honeymoon. During their stay in Rome, they visited Alfredo's restaurant and tried his fettuccine.
They were impressed enough to become permanently linked with the story of the dish. After returning to the United States, they sent Alfredo a golden fork and spoon engraved with a dedication. The cutlery became one of the restaurant's best-known symbols, while the story helped make the restaurant particularly intriguing to American visitors.
In the years that followed, actors, entertainers and international travellers all passed through Alfredo's restaurant. Photographs of famous guests accumulated on the walls, the restaurant's reputation grew, and the fettuccine bearing Alfredo's name became increasingly well known across the Atlantic.
In the United States, however, the recipe began to take on a life of its own.
Heavy cream was added to the original combination of butter and cheese, producing a thicker and more abundant sauce. Over time, “Alfredo” came to mean not only the pasta dish but the sauce itself. This eventually led to dishes such as Chicken Alfredo, along with versions topped with prawns, broccoli and other ingredients.
The result is a rather unusual culinary split. In the United States, Alfredo sauce is now a classic of Italian-American cooking. In Rome, the recipe behind that famous name remains remarkably simple, made with just three ingredients.
So if you order Fettuccine Alfredo in Rome and then order the same dish in New York, don't be surprised if two very different plates of pasta arrive at your table.