Medium
4 people
20 min
Alfredo was a genius
I am not going to be sitting here telling you the story of how and when Alfredo di Lelio created this simple yet glorious recipe of fettuccine in Rome back in the 1908, and I am also not going to argue with the fact that Americans turned it into a world-wide phenomenon often twisted with unnecessary ingredients.
But what I will do, is invite you to try it with me, making fettuccine from scratch and creating the most delicious and rich dressing using only butter and Grana Padano cheese, with no shortcuts, as there is really no need for any.
Chef’s tip: simple recipes can be tricky, there is nowhere to hide possible mistakes. Here the key step is the final ‘mantecatura’ of the pasta with the grated Grana Padano, butter and the hot pasta water and the secret lies all on the temperature. Remember to turn off the heat of the water and to allow it to cool 1 minute before starting or the strong heat could split the cheese.
Ingredients
- 70 g of unsalted butter
- 200 g finely grated Grana Padano Riserva, Aged Over 20 months
- Salt and pepper to taste
- For the pasta
- 350 g 00 flour (or all-purpose/plain flour)
- 150 g semola rimacinata aka durum wheat flour (or all-purpose/plain flour)
- 2 eggs (about 110 g)
- 8 egg yolks (about 180 g)
- Extra flour for dusting
Preparation
Beat the eggs with a fork and gradually incorporate the flour. When the ingredients start to bind together, knead by hand with energy. Remember, during this step it is important to stretch and pull your dough while kneading to allow the flour’s gluten to start working and therefore obtain and elastic dough. After a few minutes, it will slowly come together and result in a smooth and homogeneous dough. As not all eggs are the same, if your dough feels too sticky, feel free to add a spoon of flour, if too dry and not binding, you can add a touch of leftover egg white or even a splash of water.
When ready, wrap your dough in clingfilm and leave to rest for about 30 minutes, this will allow the dough to ‘relax’ and not be too elastic when shaping your pasta.
Proceed to roll the dough into thin pasta sheets. If you have a wooden board great, if you don’t, a clean surface will work.
First, slice the pasta into thick sheets and flatten them with a rolling pin. With the help of a pasta machine, roll the pasta out. (This can also be done by hand using a rolling pin and lots of elbow grease!).
It is good practice to fold your rolled pasta on itself and start over a couple of times, this process will give you a smoother and rectangular sheet that will be easier to work with at a later stage.
Pass the pasta gradually from the largest setting to the second to last.
It is a good habit to allow your pasta sheets to dry for 5 minutes on your board before cutting it into any shape and remember to dust with extra flour only if it feels too wet and humid on your hands.
I also always re-roll the pasta sheet on the same setting once after the 5 minutes rest to make sure it has not shrunk too much.
I like my fettuccine to retain a bit of bite when cooked so 1,5 to 2 mm thickness sounds about right.
Dust well with flour on both sides. Now fold the sheet on itself from both ends lengthwise and not too tight and stop when the 2 edges meet each other in the middle (do not let the 2 overlap). With a sharp knife cut the rolled sheet into fettucine about ½ cm thick but more than anything please, please, please remember that the tagliatelle don’t have to be perfect to be tasty, so don’t stress to much with a measuring tape!
Now pass the blunt side of your knife under the sliced ‘fettucine roll’ and lift them up to allow the fettucine open up and separate from each other. You can use them straight away or keep refrigerated lightly floured in a container.
Now drop the pasta in well salted boiling water and mix. Fresh pasta cooks in literally instants. 30 seconds should be enough. Just taste it to make sure….it must still have a bite to it.
Turn off the heat, drain the fettuccine and make sure to save some cooking water.
Away from the stove, toss the hot fettuccine with the softened butter in a heatproof tray/bowl, then add a ladle of pasta water and the very finely grated cheese. Start mixing slowly and build some momentum. What looks like a watery mess will soon start to come together as the gentle remaining heat of the water will melt the cheese and butter and create a creamy emulsion. This is your magical sauce!
Season with salt if needed and enjoy straight away with freshly milled black pepper on top.
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