Alfredo is my Middle Name

If I knew I would live after the fact, I would have no problems injecting Alfredo sauce into my veins. It's easily one of my favorite sauces and I think a lot of it has to do with my unhealthy obsession with parmesan cheese. Seriously, give me a piece of wood, and if it has enough parmesan on it, I'd probably eat it. 

In my eyes, Alfredo sauce is not used nearly enough as it should be. Yes, tossed with fettuccine is the usual, most common way to scarf it down. But if you're not shy you can throw it in a potato or vegetable gratin, use it as the base for your mac and cheese (holy crap, yes), make a white lasagna with ground sausage, put together a dip with spinach and artichoke hearts or just as a dip by itself! Over tortellini, ravioli,  farfalle (bow tie pasta), fusilli (corkscrew pasta). Lord help you if you've never had Alfredo pizza. I know this may be somewhat blasphemous where I come from in New York, but if I had two pizza pies sitting in front of me, one Alfredo and one regular.. I'd probably pick the Alfredo one.

Yeah, I said it.

There are hundreds of things you can do with it and thousands if you count the additional ingredients like spinach, shrimp, chicken, sausage, etc...

I know there's a good chance you probably know all of this. But the thing is, there's probably an even better chance that the only time you come in contact with Alfredo sauce is when you buy it at the store or go out to one of those restaurants. 

You know, the restaurant that claims they're authentic Italian cuisine when the only thing authentic about them is the Grade-A guano they feed you about schools in Tuscany or their "fresh" pasta. 

I'd get more into that but that's another post. Besides, I'm too busy talking about Alfredo sauce:

Alfredo Sauce

                    1 quart ~ Heavy Cream

          1 tablespoon ~ Butter 

        2 tablespoons ~ Garlic, chopped

               1 1/2 cups ~ Grated Parmesan Cheese

                   To taste ~ Salt and Pepper

Notes:

• Yes. Seriously. That's it.
• This recipe will make enough sauce for a family of four. I like to make enough for leftovers the next day. If you don't, then just cut everything in half. 
• The Parmesan cheese is the most important factor here. The type of cheese you get will effect the taste of sauce. Get a cheap, dollar store cheese and it'll taste like dollar store sauce. Get a nice dark wedge of Parmesan and you'll make the best Alfredo sauce you ever tasted. I don't go all out. Store brand shredded cheese is good enough for our family nights. But if you want to impress someone, get a wedge from the deli section and grate it yourself. You'll tell the difference.
• Try and use grated. I buy shredded, as I said, and I chop it up before putting it in. What I recommend is a trip to the food processor if you go that route because parmesan isn't the best melter. So you may end up with chunks and strains in your creamy cheese sauce. If it's grated, it'll dissolve/melt better.
• I'd keep leftovers in the fridge for a few days but I wouldn't freeze it. You could, but when you reheat it, it won't be the same. The flavor, the consistency, everything will be off. 
• I make this in a shallow, heavy bottomed pot. If your pot is light, be careful, this scorches easily if not watched constantly. You'll be safer with something heavy. Also, try not to use something with a non-stick surface because you'll be doing some whisking.

I've been making this sauce from scratch for a long, long time. It's another of my OG recipes from when I first started cooking. It was taught to me by a friend in Culinary School, and I was dumbfounded by how simple it was. He had a different technique of doing it, and he also didn't use any butter, which I'm fine by doing. Before putting this recipe up I made it a few times to make sure I got it right. Tried once with a slurry, once with a roux and once with nothing to thicken it. When I make it at home usually, I admit, I cheat a little and use a slurry to thicken it up. Nothing wrong with it, but if you do it right the first time then you don't need anything to thicken it up. The roux was ok but unnecessary. It tasted a little different but that could have been from the cold I had that week. Mainly it was just extra ingredients/steps that this simple recipe doesn't need. Lastly I did it right. What's the one way to guarantee you do it right? Patience. You don't need to set aside hours, but you will need at least 15 minutes of standing by the stove. You know, just in case. If you've cooked with cream before, you know what I mean. Every time I made it before I was rushing, trying to get dinner ready for the wife when she got home. But if you take your time, you'll find the slight reduction of the cream and the natural creaminess of the cheese will thicken the sauce very nicely. 

How nicely? Let's find out:

• First thing you want to do is chop up your garlic, but first, cut off and discard the root end. You don't want those floating around your sauce.

• Put your pot on medium heat and melt the butter with the garlic. Saute until there is a little color to the garlic. You don't want to cook it till it's brown so be ready with the cream when the color starts to change. 

Do what I say, don't do what I do.

• Add the cream and stir occasionally till it starts to steam. When it starts to steam, add the parmesan cheese by the handful, whisking with a whisk constantly.

• Once all the cheese is in, turn the heat down to low and keep whisking every few minutes. It doesn't need to be a full on boil, so if it's going nuts boiled, try and turn it down lower. And don't walk away and start doing something else, if you let it go for a bit without whisking, the cheese will probably burn at the bottom. Give it about 15 or 20 minutes and the sauce will thicken naturally. Give it less time if you're doing less than a quart of cream.

• Add some salt and pepper. If it needs more, add more until it tastes like Alfredo sauce to you. Once you finish with the salt and pepper, you're done. Stick a straw in it and drink some, put some in a bowl and give yourself a sponge bath, put it in an ice cream maker and make some Alfredo ice cream. ....Ew, no. Don't do that. 

If you have some fresh parsley you can add some to the sauce with no problem. If not, who cares, it's awesome anyway.

 

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Spaghetti

I've mentioned before that we have a fairly repetitive rotation of meals we eat throughout the week. Some things get retired or get put on the back burner, so to speak, when we get tired of it. The beloved Taco Tuesday has seen this fate once or twice. But there is one meal in particular that is so popular in this house I don’t think it will ever be skipped or taken out of the rotation…


Spaghetti night.


Yes, the last few posts of bread after garlic after bread after garlic, have been setting you up for this one recipe. Getting you ready the way the too-old-to-fight mentor gets the young and brave hero ready to battle evil. But the only evil coming from this battle will be that first bite burning the crap out of your mouth.

And maybe the heartburn.

Spaghetti is the meal that has always brought the family together. And I’m not just talking about mine, I’m talking about families everywhere. If you’re having a get together, odds are, the best, most homey meal you can dish up is spaghetti. Get a nice, toasty loaf of garlic bread, maybe some extra virgin olive oil to drizzle and dip; some freshly grated cheese and a nice big bowl of spaghetti on the table and fuhgettaboudit, you’ll be everyone’s favorite person in the world. They’ll all be following you around like stray cats just hoping you’d invite them over again.

Making good spaghetti is a gift that’s a curse, but ey, whaddya gunna do, uh?



Spaghetti and Meat Sauce (basic):


                               1 each ~ Onion, diced
                    2 tablespoons ~ Raw Garlic, sliced
                      1/4 teaspoon ~ Red Pepper Flakes
                          1/2 pound ~ Ground Beef
                    2 tablespoons ~ Dried Oregano
                      1 tablespoon ~ Dried Thyme
            at least 1 teaspoon ~ Salt
                               to taste ~ Pepper
                       1 - 28 oz can ~ Crushed Tomatoes
                                     3 oz ~ Tomato Paste
                                1/2 cup ~ Roasted Garlic Paste
                                   up to ~ Half a Box of Dried Spaghetti Pasta
       2 teaspoons + garnish ~ Fresh Parsley, chopped (optional)



Notes:

• I say “basic” because there are about a thousand ways to make spaghetti. And well, this one is pretty basic. But if you know anything about Italian cooking or cooking in general for that matter, it’s that the best tasting things are the simplest to make.
• If you like more heat, add more red pepper flakes.
• For this recipe, I’m using lean ground beef. To get another level of flavor, you can substitute for ground Italian sausage or you can go 50/50 ground beef/sausage.
• This recipe is enough yield for 2 hearty plates of spaghetti with a bit left over. Adjust accordingly for however many people you're cooking for.
• Don't know where to get Roasted Garlic Paste from? It's ok, I got your back.
• I used crushed tomatoes and tomato paste. This can give you a fairly robust sauce. But if you don't have it on hand or don't feel like buying it all the time, you can easily and guilt free buy a jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce. When I do, I buy the traditional style Target brand and it works like a charm. If I'm feeling feisty, I'll get a roasted garlic and herb style. So it's up to you.
• If you do go the from scratch route, keep in mind you may have to adjust seasoning before adding the spaghetti. More than likely, more salt and oregano. Maybe even some garlic powder and a pinch of sugar. I have faith that you'll be able to taste it and know what is missing. If in doubt, use the Force.

Ok, first things first:

• Get a big pot. 

The more people you're cooking for, the bigger. The more water there is, the more the pasta can circulate and move around. If you use a little bit a water and a lot of pasta, you'll wind up with a lot of stuck together, uncooked noodles. 

• Fill up your big pot with water. Not to the tippy top, psycho. Leave about 3 - 3 1/2 inches at the top. Put it on the burner and turn the heat on high. I usually salt my water after it comes to a boil because salted water takes longer to boil and I don't have the... 

Wait, what? You didn't know that? Well then...

*Cracks knuckles*

Let's drop some science...


When you add salt to water, the boiling temperature increases. Why? Because the salt dissolves in the water creating a solution of sodium and chloride ions. These ions are attracted to the water molecules and cause a bond which needs more energy to break down in order for the water to enter the boiling phase. More energy needed equals more time needed.


Anyways, spaghetti...


You can salt your water whenever you want. Just don't forget to. And when you do, add a lot. Italian chefs will tell you they like their pasta water to taste like the sea, and for good reason. You want your pasta to have flavor, you want it to stand out and compliment, not just be there. So don't be shy. I'm not talking half a box of salt, but don't just put a pinch in it either.

And don't put oil in your water. Matter of fact, don't let oil touch your pasta. The oil will coat your noodles and will cause the sauce to slip right off it, and you don't want that. The only time oil should touch your pasta is when you're cooking it in advance. You can cook your pasta, put it in an ice bath to stop the cooking process, and then toss it in oil so it does not stick to itself and cause a huge clump of a mess. Then put it in the fridge covered for a few days and drop it in boiling water to bring it back to life. That's how they do it in the restaurants, so it'll work just the same at home for a busy dinner cooker.

Now, I know what you're saying. Oil in the water helps eliminate the foam that boils over when cooking pasta. If you're having trouble with that mess since you're not using oil, just put a wooden spoon on top of the pot. This will stop the foam caused by the starches in the pasta before it reaches the top and boils over.

Boom, magic!


Anyways, SPAGHETTI...

• After you get your water going, get yourself your favorite big pan or pot and put it on med-high heat with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. After you use whatever garlic oil you're going to use for your garlic bread, feel free to use that oil here for some extra love. Put the chopped garlic, onions and red pepper flakes in and cook until the onions and garlic are sweet and caramelized. This is going to give that hint of sweetness that every red sauce needs.

• When done, add the ground meat, salt, pepper, and herbs and spices. Then cook until brown, draining if you have to.

I like to add all my seasonings here instead of later. That way, you know the meat is going to have some flavor and it's going to share it with the sauce. This is a 15 minute meal. If you have time to simmer a spaghetti sauce for hours, you can not only let me know what I'm doing wrong in my life, but you can have the time to let everything harmonize and be all buddy-buddy in your pot. But in 15 minutes, a sauce can't do to bland meat what flavorful meat can do to a bland sauce.

• Speaking of which, incorporate the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and roasted garlic paste. Here is when you want to add your pasta to the salted boiling water. 

I put my pasta in the water and I set the timer for 10 minutes and it comes out perfect every time. Why do I put it in for 10 minutes? Because that's what the box of pasta says to do, ya ding dong. This is also the time that I put my garlic bread in the oven. I know, I know... You're still recovering from all the garlic bread posts, my bad.

• Let the sauce simmer on low for like 5 minutes then take it off the heat until you're about to add the pasta. When you take it off the heat, add the parsley and give the sauce a taste and adjust the seasonings accordingly. Taste it and make sure it's what you want. Once the pasta is done, strain it out... Here's where it's your call: A lot of people serve their spaghetti with a bowl of noodles and then the sauce plopped on top. Me? I just dump the noodles in the sauce and toss till it's all happy-happy. The choice is yours. I told you how to make it, you can eat it out of a tortilla for all I care.

And there you have it. Plate it up, get some parmesan cheese on there, garnish with some parsley, and then stick a fork in it.

I hope over the last few weeks I've helped you craft a great family meal. I know that's hoping for a lot, but I like to think I'm doing some good in this world.

One plate of spaghetti at a time.

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