Pasta Alfredo (Roman-Style)

Pasta with butter and Parmesan is nearly as old as pasta, butter and Parmesan themselves. But the dish we today call fettuccine Alfredo was created by a Roman named Alfredo shortly after the turn of the twentieth century, who went on to become the talk of the town, a favourite of the Hollywood jet set and a key player in a long-running rivalry with his former head waiter as to who really owned the rights to the recipe. The recipe itself and according to David Downie in his excellent Cooking the Roman Way, it contains absolutely no cream, black pepper, or other ingredients beyond pasta, cheese, butter and salt. (Downie knew the grandson of the original Alfredo and learned the recipe from him, so we can be pretty confident that he's got his facts right.)

1 stick unsalted butter, diced (115 g)
1¼ cups (4 oz) Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated on the fine holes of a box grater (115 g)
1 lb fresh fettuccine pasta
½ cup hot pasta-cooking water
sea salt

Garnish:
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

In a large heatproof bowl, combine butter and cheese.

In a medium pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until al dente. Using tongs, a strainer, or a spider, transfer pasta to bowl with cheese and butter. Retain the pasta water.

Add ½ cup hot pasta-cooking water, then, using tongs, toss repeatedly until butter is melted and a creamy, emulsified sauce forms. If pasta seems too dry, add a splash or two of additional pasta water until desired consistency is reached. Season with salt, if necessary. Serve, sprinkling more cheese on top at the table.

Makes 3-4 servings.

Cook's Notes:

Look for a young Parmigiano-Reggiano, preferably aged for less than 18 months (a younger cheese will be sweeter and less spicy, which works well in this dish). Alternatively, Grana Padano makes a good substitution as it's a very similar cheese to Parmesan, but typically aged less.

Nutritional Information:
Calories 498, Fat 32 g, Carbs 38 g, Protein 14 g