Christmas Fettuccine
October & December consist of the same ritual at our house - festive movies every freakin' night! October we get scared, December we get jolly. So naturally, with December in full swing, we're over here like queue up the Christmas flicks! & Hulu Holiday doesn't disappoint!
One of my favorite Christmas movies - The Holiday. Gah I just love it! I mean first - the Brits. Seriously what British Christmas movie can you not love? Those accents are just the most charming thing ever. & when they use curse words with that sweet accent - just kill me. Obsessed! Then there’s the old man, and his sweet old Hollywood vibes. I swear when Kate Winslet walks him down the aisle at the benefit it just gets me every time! But what truly stands out to me from this movie, and one of my most favorite lines - “Christmas Fettuccini.” Like literally never heard of Christmas Fettuccini being a thing, but fuck it - I’m on board. So this year in the quest to make December 2018 one of the best yet, I’m cooking up holiday meals galore. Taking a crack at Christmas Fettuccini is a must, because curling up with a warm, sauced up bowl of pasta & a holiday flick sounds pretty damn perfect. I've also never made Alfredo sauce, but it seems like one of those good crowd pleaser recipes that I should know how to whip up. I do love the stuff, but never really order it out or buy it at the store because hello - calories. & probably zero nutritional value. But I'm choosing to embrace a calories don't count when it's homemade attitude.
Also - on a very honest note - homemade Alfredo from scratch part 1 happened last week and it was a disaster. I tried my hand at crafting a healthy version & went about the whole thing by eliminating butter & replacing it with more broth to lower the cals. Nice idea, but it was total shit. Bless my husband’s heart because he insisted it was great, but I ate every low calorie bite with disappoint. So this round of Christmas fettuccini was more like Alfredo sauce redemption. and round 2 was a delicious success. & this sauce is impossible to mess up - cream & butter melted together, & then thickened up with parmesan. Literally that's it. Warmed all together in a sauce pan, and cooked with a little patience - it's the perfect creamy, cheesy treat.
So lesson to be learned with Alredro sauce - don't skimp on the good stuff! Do use butter and do use heavy cream. Omitting it to save the waistline is like a crime, and I learned that the hard way. Alfredo is supposed to be rich, delicious, thick and creamy, and that's what makes that smooth, cheesy sauce worth every carby calorie. Plus it’s the holidays, so decadent food is on trend. Freshen it up with veggies on the side instead of skimping on the rich ingredients. My absolute favorite way to sneak in the veggies with pasta is add salad mix - something real crunchy (like kale) or arugula. I literally do this with EVERY pasta I make & I swear it’s so good. Just fill your bowl with some leafy greens and pile your pasta right on top. There's something so satisfying about a warm bite of cheesy pasta with a bite of cold, crunchy veg - totally perfect. Arugula or kale just seem to really pair well with any kind of sauce, and bring a lightness to the dish.. A little basic bitch, but it totally works, and the most important thing is it tastes amazing.
I went the extra mile by sneaking in some veggies right into the sauce. I went with two of my favorites - brussels and sun dried tomatoes. Brussels are for me, and they're sautéed with some garlic and olive oil until they're softened and slightly caramelized. The sun dried tomatoes are for Jordan - minced up and tossed right in the sauce for a tangy little bite. The best thing is that it's totally versatile, and a perfect pairing with any of your favorite veggies if brussels and tomatoes don't do it for ya', but it was pretty tasty in our humble opinions, and the perfect holiday treat.
For the Christmas Fettuccini
1 tbsp EVOO
4 c. of shredded Brussel sprouts (about 12 ounces)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 stick of butter
1 c. heavy cream
1 & 1/2 c. parmesan cheese, plus a little extra for garnish
1/4 sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1 package of good quality pasta (fettuccini or linguini work best)
Salt and peper
Red pepper flakes
Start by making sautéed Brussel sprouts. Place a large skillet over medium high and add in about a tablespoon of EVOO. Add in the minced garlic, and let the garlic toast in the oil for a minute. Add in the Brussel sprouts, and let them cook over medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes or so. After the 8 minutes cook time, reduce the heat to low and cover the pan.
Now make the Alfredo sauce - the easiest thing ever to make. Place a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add in the butter and cream, and let the butter melt & the two ingredients warm up together. Once warm, add in the parmesan, and increase the heat to medium high in an effort to bring the sauce to a simmer. Let the sauce continue to simmer for 3-4 minutes, stirring the sauce the entire time. This will allow the cheese to melt! After 4 minutes, reduce the heat to low, stir in a pinch of salt, pepper, and the sun dried tomatoes. Let the sauce sit over low heat, uncovered, until you've got cooked noodles.
Now time to cook the pasta noodles to the cooking instructions. Be careful to not overcook them - al dente is best! Drain the noodles, reserving about 2 tablespoons of the pastas cooking liquid. Add the noodles and the reserved liquid to the pan that the Brussel sprouts are in, and increase the heat back up to medium. Then pour in the Alfredo sauce over the noodles, tossing so the sauce coats all of the noodles.
To serve up the pasta, place a handful of salad mix in the bottom of your bowls. Using a large fork or tongs, twirl the noodles right in the skillet to get a serving of noodles, and place them right on top of the salad. Sprinkle with a small pinch of parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes to finish, and you're ready to eat. Enjoy your bowl of Alfredo perfection.