Fettuchini Alfreddo

There's a lot more to being Italian than the typical stereotypes that we have come to know from movies, television and books. From the Catholic mobsters who kill during the week but always make it to mass on Sunday, to the "how you doin" views of Joey from the television show "Friends", people often forget the more important parts of being Italian. It is a culture like no other, full of history, art, and most importantly, their passion for food. Italian food, in my opinion, is the best in the world. Italians put so much into everything they make that the time and effort is tasted with every single bite. One of my favorite dishes would have to be fettuccini alfredo and it just happens to be a fairly easy, but extremely delicious, dish to make. Trust me, if I can make it, you can make it.

The most important part of Italian cooking is the ingredients. Quality makes a huge difference in the outcome of any dish. For fettuccini alfredo you need: one pound of uncooked fettuccini, two cups of finely grated parmesan or romano cheese, one pint of either heavy cream or half and half, one egg yolk and one teaspoon of butter. This will make enough food for four people so keep that in mind when you are shopping for ingredients. For the best outcome, use heavy cream and the best cheese you can find. These choices make a huge difference with the outcome of the sauce. Using half and half is a good way to cut some calories, but the sauce will not come out as creamy as it would if you were to use heavy cream. Another delicious addition to this recipe is add pieces of chicken breast to the finished product. Purchasing already cooked chicken breast strips, found in your grocers freezer, will save you a lot of time in the making of this dish.

With our ingredients all selected, it is time to get cooking. Grab your favorite sauce pan and fill with six to eight cups of lightly salted water on high heat. Bring that to a boil and add your pound of fettuccini, lowering the heat to medium and stirring frequently. You can either follow the instructions on the box to figure out when your fettuccini is ready or you can go by the more traditional, old fashioned way. My Grandma taught me at a young age how to tell when pasta is ready. Pasta is supposed to be cooked al dente, which translated means to the tooth, meaning the pasta should be cooked until it is nice and soft on the outside but still a little hard inside. To tell when pasta is at this stage, simply take a strand out of the pot and toss it against a wall. If it sticks, it's al dente and ready to be drained. If it falls to the floor, give the remaining pieces a little more cooking time.

Now that your fettuccini is sticking to the wall, drain it and place the pasta back in the pot adding the teaspoon of butter. Stir the butter until it has completely melted, as this keeps the pasta from sticking to itself. Now place your pot back on the stove with the heat off for now. Before continuing