Serves: 4 14 minutes
Cook the fettuccine pasta in a pot of boiling salted water for about 8 minutes or till tender but just underdone. Drain and refresh in cold water. Drain well and toss in a little hot butter in a pan. Keep warm. For the Alfredo sauce, heat the remaining butter in a saucepan and saute the sliced mushrooms on medium-high heat for about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for a few seconds on medium heat. Reduce heat, add the milk and mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low and add the cream. Stir well and cook stirring on very low heat for about 2 minutes or till the sauce is thick enough to coat the spoon. Put off the heat and mix in the cheese. Season with salt, nutmeg and coarsely powdered peppercorns. Keep warm till serving time. At serving time, mix the fettuccine pasta in the warmed Alfredo sauce till it is well heated through. If the sauce is too thick, mix in some warm milk and serve immediately. TIPS:
blanch chopped vegetables of your choice and toss it along with the pasta and sauce. Fresh herbs can be substituted with comparitively lesser amounts of dry ones. It is important to cook the pasta till it is almost cooked or till just underdone. Refresh any form of cooked pasta in cold water so that they do not become sticky. Drain the cold water and coat the pasta with a drop or two of oil. Alternatively, toss in some melted butter tillheated through. This will help separate them out. Cream should always be mixed in and cooked on very low heat to avoid curdling. The best quality parmesan cheese will be labelled Parmigiano Reggiano. The amount of cheese can be increased if desired specially if children love it. It is always advisable to do the mixing of pasta and sauce at serving time only. If done in advance, the pasta tends to get sticky and soggy as it absorbs the sauce. Serve hot topped with: grated parmesan cheese
