My Favorite Recipes

My friend and I took a pasta class with the Laguna Culinary School and along with making lots of pasta, they taught us several sauces including this wonderful alfredo sauce. Now alfredo sauce is a rich, heavy, but oh so delicious sauce. This version adds some lemon to lighten the sauce a bit and really allows the sauce to not be so heavy and yet be even more delicious.  Add some grilled chicken or some vegetables like zucchini or broccoli to make the pasta a complete meal.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream (See note)
• zest of one lemon
• juice of one lemon
• 6 Tbl butter, unsalted
• 3/4 cup Parmesan Reggiano, grated
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground white pepper

Procedure

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, add the butter, 1 cup of the cream, the lemon zest and lemon juice. Heat until the butter is melted and then cover and turn off heat. Right before your pasta is ready, return the cream mixture to heat, add the remaining 1/2 cup cream and all of the cheese and the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Heat until it achieves the desired thickness. Add your pasta and enjoy.

Note

Try to find pasteurized and not ultra pasteurized cream. It creates a thicker sauce. It seems to me the ultra pasteurization thins out the sauce and removes some of the flavor. Trader Joe’s has some as well as Whole Foods.

This is a simple recipe that makes any pasta taste great.  Its even better with fresh homemade pasta.  Its a fairly quick recipe, so start heating your water to cook your pasta right before you start making the sauce.  Once the sauce and pasta are ready, add them together and if the sauce is too thick, add some of the pasta water to thin it out.  Add your parmesan or romano cheese, open a chianti and you are in for a pleasant evening.  Sauce is good for about a pound of pasta.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbl olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 clove of garlic, diced or put through a press
• 3 anchovies
• 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
• 1 Tbl tomato paste
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 28 oz can Muir Glen dice tomatoes
• 1 tsp sugar (optional)
• 6 to 8 leaves of fresh basil or  2 Tbl of fresh oregano (or about 2 tsp dried oregano)
• salt and pepper to taste

Over medium heat add olive oil to a saute pan, and add the onion and saute until soft and translucent, but not brown.  Add anchovies and saute until anchovies melt into the oil and onions.  Add garlic, chili flakes, and tomato paste, saute for about a minute and stir into the onions.  Add the wine and let it boil until most of the liquid is gone.   Add the tomatoes, stir and return to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer uncovered until tomatoes break down.  Taste for seasonings.  If the tomatoes are tart, add some of the sugar to balance.  Season with salt and several grinds of pepper and taste.  If you have fresh basil or oregano, add it right before adding the pasta, if all you have is dried, add it when you add the garlic.