Authentic Alfredo sauce consists of melted butter and parmesan cheese used for preparing the popular fettuccine Alfredo. The pasta and sauce were cooked and tossed together in one pan. This one pot dish was named after Alfredo di Lelio who featured it at the tableside of his restaurant in Rome. Soon spreading worldwide, the traditional sauce now thickened with either whipping cream, regular cream, cream cheese or a roux. The fettuccine pasta replaced with a variety of pasta and also, cooked separately. Various proteins like bacon, chicken and even vegetables are included in the sauce.
Today, I have used bacon and its rendered fat to flavour the dish. With no butter or cream, the sauce is made with a roux of bacon fat, flour and milk. Rotini pasta once al-dente (firm to the bite) is tossed in the sauce that is enhanced with garlic, red chilli flakes, pepper powder and grated nutmeg. Parmesan cheese substituted with white cheddar cheese. Finally, finished with a sprinkling of parsley and more cheese. Creamy delicious, the dish is ready in minutes. Loved, enjoyed by young and old!!!
Today, I have used bacon and its rendered fat to flavour the dish. With no butter or cream, the sauce is made with a roux of bacon fat, flour and milk. Rotini pasta once al-dente (firm to the bite) is tossed in the sauce that is enhanced with garlic, red chilli flakes, pepper powder and grated nutmeg. Parmesan cheese substituted with white cheddar cheese. Finally, finished with a sprinkling of parsley and more cheese. Creamy delicious, the dish is ready in minutes. Loved, enjoyed by young and old!!!
Bacon Alfredo Pasta
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
400 grams pasta of choice
8 strips of bacon
3 large cloves of garlic (grated)
1 dried red chilli (crushed into flakes)
1/4 teaspoon pepper powder
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups full-fat milk
1/4 cup grated white cheddar or parmesan cheese
few parsley leaves (chopped)
salt
Method:
Bring a pot of water to boil. Add pasta and salt. Cook until al-dente (firm to the bite). Set aside 1 cup of water if required to thin down the sauce and drain out the rest.
Cut bacon into half inch pieces.
Simultaneously, when pasta is cooking, on the adjacent cooktop, in a separate pan, render bacon until crisp. Drain out excess fat leaving 4 tablespoons in the pan. Stir in the garlic and chilli flakes. Once the garlic is soft, sprinkle flour. Use a whisk and cook well. Slowly mix in the milk avoiding any lumps. Then, add the cheese, pepper powder and nutmeg. Simmer on low heat. Toss the drained pasta to coat well.
Garnish with parsley leaves and more grated cheese.
Serve hot.
Note:
(Serves 4)
Ingredients:
400 grams pasta of choice
8 strips of bacon
3 large cloves of garlic (grated)
1 dried red chilli (crushed into flakes)
1/4 teaspoon pepper powder
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups full-fat milk
1/4 cup grated white cheddar or parmesan cheese
few parsley leaves (chopped)
salt
Method:
Bring a pot of water to boil. Add pasta and salt. Cook until al-dente (firm to the bite). Set aside 1 cup of water if required to thin down the sauce and drain out the rest.
Cut bacon into half inch pieces.
Simultaneously, when pasta is cooking, on the adjacent cooktop, in a separate pan, render bacon until crisp. Drain out excess fat leaving 4 tablespoons in the pan. Stir in the garlic and chilli flakes. Once the garlic is soft, sprinkle flour. Use a whisk and cook well. Slowly mix in the milk avoiding any lumps. Then, add the cheese, pepper powder and nutmeg. Simmer on low heat. Toss the drained pasta to coat well.
Garnish with parsley leaves and more grated cheese.
Serve hot.
Note:
- If needed, thin down sauce with warm milk or pasta water.
- Instead of a roux, sauce can be made with either whipping cream, regular cream or a combination of cream cheese and milk.
- Rotini pasta was used, which can be purchased at https://amzn.to/2I2b1OJ
- Bacon Spaghetti Alfredo (below)
