Grandpa Joe's favorite
Fettuccine all'Alfredo

This is the original recipe created by Chef Alfredo Di Lelio in Rome in 1908.

About this recipe

Early in 2015, I wrote a blog about pasta sauces and mentioned Fettuccine all'Alfredo.  A few days later, I received a blog comment from Chef Di Lelio's granddaughter, Ines Di Lelio, explaining the origin of the recipe and referring me to her restaurant's website, which contains a video of the chef preparing it.

Except in Rome, at the Di Lelio restaurant Il Vero Alfredo – Alfredo di Roma, the dish is essentially unknown in Italy.  It became famously popular in the United States when movie idols Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks returned from their honeymoon in Rome in 1920 and boasted about the wonderful pasta dish they had experienced there.  Fettuccine all'Alfredo quickly began appearing on American restaurant menus everywhere.  Unfortunately, however, few (if any) used the authentic recipe.

Thanks to Chef Ines and the Internet, you now can prepare the original in your own kitchen.  There is one catch, however.  Once you've tasted the authentic version, you are unlikely to be satisfied with the typical restaurant offerings ever again!

Ingredients - per person

  • 4 ounces fresh fettuccine
  • 3 tablespoons salted butter, softened
  • ¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons pasta water

Directions

  1. Cook the fresh pasta in salted boiling water for exactly 4 minutes.
  2. While the pasta is cooking, dip the individual serving dish in the boiling water to heat the plate.
  3. Drain the pasta and add to the heated plate.
  4. Add the melted butter and grated cheese.  Mix thoroughly.  Add one or two tablespoons of pasta water, if necessary, to melt all the cheese and ensure a creamy final consistency.
  5. Serve immediately.
Fettuccine all'Alfredo served with Veal Marsala.

Notes

  • Any pasta can be substituted here, but the classic original was prepared with freshly made fettuccine.
  • There are, however, no acceptable substitutes for the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.  At least, not if you wish to prepare and enjoy a true Alfredo sauce.  Most important, any cheese labeled Parmesan cheese definitely is not acceptable.
Posted: June 2015.