Zitti Alfredo

When I first saw the book Lunch In Paris: A Love Story with Recipes by Elizabeth Baird I knew I'd love it. I knew it even before I read the back cover.   My prediction, was unsurpisingly correct, and it is definitely on my list of top ten favorite books.  The combination of reading about food and romance was a dreamy pairing. It's amazing how connected food is to one's life, and it's a point that Baird made wonderfully clear throughout the book.  It's something I never really thought about until now, but certain dishes can take you back to a moment in time.  It makes me want to write my own novel with recipes.

There are about twenty dishes from the book I'm dying to try.  The first one I have attempted was the recipe for the alfredo sauce. Although I've always heard how easy alfredo sauce is to make, I've never had the desire to do so, because, well, buying a can is a heck of a lot easier.   But my opinion is forever changed.  This sauce was amazing and beyond easy to make. We were out of fettucine, so we used zitti - I was a little never because it's such a thick pasta, but the sauce held it's own.  So creamy, cheesey, and peppery - I will make this again and again.  See the recipe below!

Ingredients:

12 tablespoons salted butter

2 cups heavy cream

6 oz freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper (don't skimp!)

2 egg yolks, unbeaten

1 1/2 pounds De Cecco fettucine or orecchiette (or in my case zitti)

Directions:

In a large stockpot boil the water for the pasta.  Add enough salt so you can taste it.

In a sauce pan, over low heat, melt the butter. Then add the cream and stir to heat through. Then add cheese, stirring to combine.

Add the pepper, stir and cook 5 minutes.

While sauce is cooking, put the pasta into the boiling water.

Whisk the egg yolks into the sauce, continuing to whisk until the sauce slightly thickens.

Cook pasta until al dente.  Drain, then quickly return to the pot. 

Toss pasta with sauce and serve immediately.

Serves 6.