Brittany's PantryFettuccine with Spinach Alfredo
Brittany wrote this on 4 January 2011
cream, garlic, parmesan cheese, pasta, spinach
Sometimes there are certain foods that there just is not any substitute for. Alfredo is one of them. If you see a recipe that says low fat alfredo, put it down. Step away. Do not give in to the lure of healthy comfort foods. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for recipe make-overs. I do them myself on a regular basis. But when I am hungry for rich, thick, decadent pasta with a creamy parmesan sauce. I do it right.
Bring on the heavy cream!
I once read that true fettuccine alfredo doesn’t really have much of a sauce at all. If I remember correctly, the recipe called for you to heat butter and cream in a pan until hot and then add slightly undercooked pasta. With the heat on, toss the pasta in the cream until it started to absorb it and get thick, cooking the pasta the rest of the way. And that was it! Call me crazy, but if I have a chance to add garlic and cheese to something, I’m going to!
So this is what I do. It isn’t really a full recipe, its more of a method that I figured out years ago while desperate for something quick for dinner. I will try to give you accurate quantities if I can, but I am usually making this on the fly with little trucks at my feet and Veggie Tales on in the background.
Here goes.
Alfredo
4 side dish servings
1/2 lb of fettuccine or linguine, cooked according to package directions
While the pasta is cooking, heat a knob (about 2 T) of butter in a large skillet. Add 2 cloves of garlic, minced. Let garlic cook over medium heat, for 30 seconds or so, but do not let it burn or your whole dish will taste bitter. Add 1/2-3/4 cup of heavy cream. Don’t be afraid to add more if it thickens and doesn’t look like enough sauce. Heat until bubbling, adding fresh ground pepper to taste. Add 1/2 c parmesean cheese and heat gently until cheese melts and the whole sauce thickens. Add cooked pasta to the skillet and toss together. Taste for salt and pepper. Adjust the cream and cheese based on how thick or how saucy you like your pasta. If it starts to thicken up too much at the end add a splash of milk and toss. Serve as a side dish or double the recipe and serve with grilled chicken or sauteed shrimp.
Variations:
Add 1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil, chopped, when you add the pasta to the sauce.
Add 1/2 pound fresh spinach to finished dish, letting the greens wilt with the heat of the pasta. Alternatively, add 1 package chopped frozen spinach, squeezed dry.
Add the zest of 1 lemon to cream sauce.
Toss finished dish with finely chopped walnuts.
Filet Au Poivre & New Years Day
Brittany wrote this on 2 January 2011 beef, beef broth, cream, dijon mustard, gluten-free
Filet Au Poivre, Fettuccine with Spinach Alfredo, and Cherry Tomatoes. That was our dinner last night. And my husband is still raving about it.
I really didn’t think that the meal was going to be that impressive. I make some version of Alfredo at least once a month and good beef is on the menu fairly regularly. I am my Fathers’ daughter after all. And let me just make it clear that he raised me right and I only eat my steak with salt and pepper. I can count on one hand how many times I have eaten a good piece of beef with any kind of sauce or topping on it and it was usually not my choice. But this recipe sounded so good and it was sitting on my desk and steak was completely on my brain yesterday. (Deep breath!) I decided to give it a try.
So I made it, heavily modified of course. And I can honestly say that although my husband likes the food I make in general, I have never heard him praise a dish quite like this one. I kid you not. He wanted to drink the sauce on the filet. His upbringing stopped him short of licking the pan, and instead, he settled for snatching up all the little bites of meat left on our kids’ plates to scoop up the last of the sauce. It was creamy, and peppery, and tangy and…wow. It was really good.
I don’t really know how to accurately explain my husbands reaction. He said it was better than anything he had ever had at a restaurant. Better than anything I had made before. The best filet he had ever had.
And I blushed a little.
As long as he is happy, I am happy.
But he was right. It was fantastic. And when I mentioned that I would be blogging about it, he started all over again. Hmmm. Maybe I will make it again on Valentine’s Day…
Honorable Mention: It can be expensive, but filet of beef, or filet mignon is worth it! As tender as it is the lack of fat in it can mean lack of flavor too. It is the perfect cut to enhance with a sauce. And this recipe is a great example. Restaurant quality food in less than 20 minutes. Yes please!
This is even a bit too done for my taste. I love it medium rare. Still fantastic though!
Filet Au Poivre
Adapted from Ree
There are so many different versions of this dish, but I can’t get passed this one.
2 filets of beef, or filet mignons
2 T butter
Salt and Pepper
2 T Dijon mustard
1/2 c beef broth
1/3 c heavy cream
1 tsp black pepper
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Season both sides of the steaks generously with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in an oven proof skillet over medium high heat. When the skillet is sizzling hot, sear the steak for about 3 minutes. Flip and slide the whole skillet into the oven about 5 minutes, for medium rare. Remove the pan and place the steak onto a plate, covering it with foil to let it rest. Put the skillet back onto the stove over med heat and add the beef broth, scraping up the browned bits from the pan. Let bubble for a minute or two and whisk in the dijon. Let heat for a minute and whisk in the cream and last tsp of pepper. Let the whole sauce bubble for another minute and thicken slightly. Spoon over steaks and enjoy!
Honey Waffles
Brittany wrote this on 1 January 2011 buttermilk, honey
My husband is home all week and that means big breakfasts! I grew up having huge Saturday morning breakfasts with the works. Towers of toast, a huge plate of bacon or sausage patties (my parents used to make their own), stacks of pancakes, and a platter of eggs, always over-easy. My Dad has this cast iron pan the size of a saucer. It was smooth as a baby’s bottom and could have been used without butter, it was so seasoned and non-stick. It held two eggs perfectly and you could slide them onto a plate with perfectly pink tops, just ready for toast to dunk.
But this week, I was on a waffle phase. I make waffles every once in awhile, but I haven’t been very impressed with any of the recipes I have come across. Great flavor, but the texture wasn’t what I was looking for. Waffles should be crispy on the outside and light and fluffy inside. They should be fantastic with just a drizzle of maple syrup, but still be able taste great if you pile on bananas and walnuts or a mountain of strawberries and whipped cream. And I guess I just haven’t been in the mood to create my own waffle recipe. UNTIL NOW!! Man I have been craving waffles and a week later, I have some results to be proud of. Instead of sugar, I love to add honey as the sweetener to my recipes-the two quarts I got from my parents in September is almost gone- and it makes these waffles absolutely fantastic. This is my new basic waffle recipe. Seriously. I couldn’t stop snacking on them as I tried to take these pictures. I mean, come on! Look how fluffy they are! I don’t mean to toot my own horn here people, but these are hands down the best waffles I have had or made, ever! Toot, Toot!
Honey Waffles
Feel free to use all white flour in this recipe. I like to sneak a little extra vitamins and minerals in where I can, but that is totally up to you. On that same note, you can use all regular milk in place of the buttermilk as well. I use 1% and it turns out great. I loathe skim milk, but the results should be the same.
2 eggs, separated
1 c buttermilk
1 c milk
1/3 c canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 T honey
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c white whole wheat flour or whole wheat flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, buttermilk, milk, oil, vanilla and honey. Add the dry ingredients and whisk gently, just until combined. A few lumps are just fine. By hand, gently fold in the beaten egg whites. Pour into a hot waffle iron, about 3/4 c in the center, or 1/4 c in each of the squares to make little ones. Don’t over fill your waffle iron!
Note: This recipe is great on its own, or with small variations. Feel free to give these a try! Add 1 tsp of cinnamon, 3/4 c crumbled bacon, 1/2 c raisins, 1/2 c dried blueberries (fresh are sorta messy), 1/2 c chopped walnuts or pecans, 1/4 c creamy peanut butter (top with jam for PB and J waffles!),the zest of a lemon or orange, 1 mashed banana, 1/2 apple, grated…endless possibilities!
Love a Good Recipe?
Then you’ve come to the right place! I’m Brittany, and I share tested, trusted recipes you’ll love. I prepare & photograph food, obsess over the perfect recipe, and enjoy grins of delight when I serve up something awesome. Enjoy!
