Eleanora Scarpettas Fettuccine Alfredo Recipes

Steps:

• Mound flour in the center of a work surface, forming a well in the center. Crack the eggs into the well. Add oil and salt.
• Beat eggs with a fork until smooth. Gradually work flour into the eggs.
• Use a bench scraper to work in the rest of the flour, a bit at a time.
• Once all the flour has been incorporated, start working the dough with your hands to form a rounded mass for kneading. Be sure the work surface is clean of all loose bits of dough; lightly dust with flour. Knead the dough until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
• Cover the dough with an inverted bowl or plastic wrap; allow to rest 1 1/2 hours, or chill overnight.
• Divide dough into large walnut-size pieces. Quickly knead and flatten each portion of dough into a disc; very lightly dust with flour. Feed through a pasta machine set at the machine's widest setting. (If pasta pulls or tears when passing through machine, simply sprinkle a little more flour over the dough, just before it's fed, to keep it from sticking. When finished, remove excess flour with a dry brush.) As the pasta sheet emerges, gently support it with your palm and guide it onto work surface. Fold the sheet lengthwise into thirds. Repeat sequence twice on the same setting to smooth dough and increase its elasticity. Thin the dough by passing it through even finer settings, one pass on each setting from widest to narrowest (machine settings differ -- some have as many as 10, others only six). Repeat with remaining dough.
• Pass each portion of dough through cutting blade for desire thickness. To cut by hand; lightly fold sheets one at a time into thirds. Cut with a sharp knife into desired thickness.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a small skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add prosciutto, mushrooms, and parsley. Saute until light golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add heavy cream and cheese. When cheese is melted, add egg yolk. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat.
• Add fettuccine to boiling water and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Drain pasta and transfer to a large serving platter. Pour sauce over fettuccine; sprinkle with mushroom and prosciutto mixture. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Cook the pasta according to package directions. In a saucepan or skillet over low heat, warm the butter and cream. Season with salt and pepper. Place half of the Parmesan into a large serving bowl. Pour the warm butter/cream mixture over the top. Drain the pasta and immediately pour it into the bowl. Toss a couple of times, and then sprinkle in the other half of the Parmesan. Toss to combine, thinning with pasta water if necessary. Serve immediately as a main course or accompaniment to meat or salad. Delicious!

Steps:

• To make pasta dough: Combine the flour and salt; shape into a mound on your work surface and make a well in the center. Add whole eggs, yolks, and 1 tablespoon olive oil to the well and lightly beat with a fork. Gradually draw in the flour from the inside wall of the well in a circular motion. Use 1 hand for mixing and the other to protect the outer wall. Continue to incorporate all the flour until it forms a ball. Knead and fold the dough until elastic and smooth, this should take about 10 minutes. Brush the surface with remaining olive oil and wrap the dough in plastic wrap; let rest for about 30 minutes to allow the gluten to relax. Divide the ball of dough in small sections, cover and reserve the dough you are not immediately using to prevent it from drying out. Form the dough into a rectangle and roll it through the pasta machine, 2 or 3 times, at widest setting. Pull and stretch the sheet of dough with the palm of your hand as it emerges from the rollers. Reduce the setting and crank dough through again, 2 or 3 times. Continue tightening and rolling until the sheet is about 1/4-inch thick. Keep in mind, overly thick pasta tastes gummy. Cut the long sheet into workable 18-inch pieces. Now, using the fettuccine cutting attachment, run the sheets through the cutting slot. Dust the noodles and a baking sheet with cornmeal. Coil the strands into a nest. Allow to dry for about 10 minutes before cooking.
• To prepare Alfredo sauce: Heat heavy cream over low-medium heat in a deep saute pan. Add butter and whisk gently to melt. Sprinkle in cheese and stir to incorporate. Season with freshly cracked black pepper. In a large stockpot, cook pasta in plenty of boiling salted water for 3 minutes. Quickly drain the pasta and add it to the saute pan, gently toss the noodles to coat in the Alfredo. Transfer pasta to a warm serving bowl. Top with more grated cheese and chopped parsley. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Heat a 10-inch skillet (at least 2 inches deep) over medium heat.
• Slice the bacon into 1/2 inch pieces. Place the bacon in the skillet.
• While the bacon is frying, heat the cream (but not to a boil.) This can be done either in the microwave or on the stove top.
• Once the bacon is crisp, drain off all but 1-2 tbsp of the grease from the pan.
• Pour the cream over the bacon.
• Add a few grinds each of black and white pepper, and some crushed red pepper. A quick sprinkle of red pepper will add some flavor -- for a little more spice, use 1-2 teaspoons.
• Bring the cream to a simmer, and continue cooking for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• While the cream sauce is simmering, boil water and prepare the pasta according to the package directions.
• When the pasta is done and drained, toss with the tablespoon of butter.
• Once the butter has melted, pour the cream sauce over the pasta and toss to coat.
• Serve with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Steps:

• Bring 6 quarts generously salted water to a boil.
• While the water heats, melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; saute until fragrant and sizzling, about 2 minutes. Whisk the cream with the egg yolk in a bowl until blended; pour into the garlic butter. Reduce heat to medium-low; stir until hot but not boiling. Keep warm over low heat.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta, partially covered, until al dente. (The pasta will float when it's done.) Drain in a colander, shaking out excess water, but reserve a little cooking water. Pour hot pasta into the cream mixture and toss to coat (still over low heat). Add the cheese and keep tossing gently until cream is mostly absorbed. Season with salt and pepper. If sauce is absorbed too much, toss with a little pasta water. Serve in warm bowls.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine porcinis and water. Let stand until soft, about 30 minutes. Strain, reserving 1/4 cup of the soaking liquid. Coarsely chop mushrooms; set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add shallots, and cook until translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in parsley, and cook 1 minute more. Add fresh and dried mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms first release their liquid and then liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes. Add the 1/4 cup reserved soaking liquid. Cook, stirring, until liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to a bowl, and cool briefly before stirring in Parmesan and ricotta. Season with salt and pepper.
• Spread semolina on a baking sheet; set aside. Cut fresh pasta dough into 8 pieces. Work with one piece at a time, keeping remaining pieces covered with a glass bowl. Using a pasta machine, roll through the widest opening, brushing very lightly with flour. Fold dough in half crosswise; pass through machine again. Roll dough through remaining settings until it is about 1/16 inch thick (on the Kitchen Aid attachment, this is through setting number 6; this may vary depending on the type of machine used), using as little additional flour as possible.
• Place sheet on a lightly floured surface with the long side parallel to the edge of work surface. Place 8 heaping measuring teaspoons of mushroom filling along the top third of the sheet about 2 inches apart. Moisten pasta around each mound of filling, using a pastry brush dipped in water. Fold the dough up and over the filling to enclose; press around filling to seal. Cut between mounds with a plain pastry wheel. Use a 2 1/2-inch fluted round cutter to cut out ravioli, centering filling. Alternately, use a fluted pastry wheel to cut into rectangular ravioli. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Cover with a clean kitchen towel. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Chill until ready to cook. The ravioli can be prepared ahead of time up to this point and frozen. Place baking sheet in freezer until ravioli are frozen. Transfer ravioli to a freezer bag, and keep frozen for up to 2 months.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add about 6 ravioli per serving, and cook until tender but al dente, about 2 minutes (slightly longer if frozen). In a skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 teaspoon of oil with 1 sprig of thyme for each serving. When ravioli are done, use a slotted spoon to remove from boiling water. Drain well, and transfer to skillet. Toss in butter, and divide among warm bowls. Top with shaved Parmesan and freshly ground pepper.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250°F.
• Melt butter in a heatproof serving bowl in middle of oven, about 5 minutes.
• Cook fettuccine in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente.
• Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain fettuccine in a colander. Immediately toss fettuccine with butter and salt in bowl, then slowly add 3/4 cup cheese, tossing constantly and adding enough of cooking water to keep pasta moist. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then sprinkle with remaining cheese.

Steps:

• Grate the cheese, black pepper and nutmeg if you need to.
• Put 4 quarts of water to boil.
• Cooking: Set small frying pan in mid-high heat. Add the butter and the cream to the frying pan and mix well.
• Stir the sauce frequently and add the black pepper, salt and nutmeg, boil and stir frequently until the sauce becomes heavier, then reduce the heat. Add the pasta to the boiling water along with some salt and cook to your liking.
• Once the pasta is cooked, drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Add the grated cheese to the sauce and pasta, and mix until the cheese is absorbed by the sauce.