Fettuccine Alfredo

Butter • Parmesan • Pasta Water — Rome, Italy

The original Roman Alfredo has no cream — just butter, Parmigiano and starchy pasta water whisked into silk. This is that version.

Ingredients

• 400 g — Fettuccine (fresh or dried)
• 80 g — Butter, room temperature
• 120 g — Parmigiano-Reggiano, finely grated (1⅓ cups)
• 1 pc — Garlic clove, smashed (optional)
• 2 g — Black pepper, coarsely cracked
• 1 pinch — Nutmeg, a pinch

Step-by-Step Method

1. Boil the pasta. In well-salted water until 1 minute shy of the package time. Before draining, save 2 cups of the pasta water — it is liquid gold.
2. Melt the butter. In the pasta pan over low heat, melt butter with the garlic clove; remove garlic. The pan should be warm, never sizzling.
3. Build the emulsion. Add drained pasta plus a splash of pasta water. Toss hard with tongs — the starch starts turning the butter glossy.
4. Cheese off the heat. Kill the heat. Shower in parmesan in 3 additions, tossing and adding pasta water splash by splash until the sauce coats every ribbon like cream.
5. Serve immediately. On warm plates with black pepper and nutmeg. Alfredo waits for no one — it thickens as it sits.

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