Region: Italy
Category: Pasta with Cheese
Season: Any
Difficulty: Easy and Quick
This dish is made with egg fettuccine and tomato juice flavored with cream. It’s a style of cooking from northern Italy and is best if using homemade fettuccine, made with white flour and fresh eggs. It’s a rich dish served as a first course. The leftovers are also the “secret” ingredient to one of the nicest frittata you’ll taste, the Frittata of Saffron Fettuccine and Smoked Salmon.
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
3/4 pound ripe tomatoes, cut in half, seeds squeezed out, grated down to the peel on the largest holes of a standing grater
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
6 tablespoons crème fraîche
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon truffle oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 pound egg fettuccine
1 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1. Pass the tomatoes through a strainer so you only have the juice of the tomato. In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat with the garlic cloves and when the garlic is sizzling add the tomato juice and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the crème fraîche, cream, truffle oil, and season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking until the crème fraîche is blended.
2. Meanwhile, for every pound of pasta, bring 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil over high heat, salt abundantly with up to 1/2 cup of salt, then add the pasta in handfuls. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally so the pasta doesn’t stick together, until a little harder then al dente. Drain without rinsing.
3. Transfer the pasta to the sauce and cook until all the liquid of the sauce has been absorbed by the pasta, stirring and tossing almost constantly. Add the cheese, toss again and serve.
Variation:
Note:
Posted: 02/02/2009
