Think pasta and you immediately think of Italy, the Mediterranean, and al fresco meals in the evening sun. Of course, we can’t all have that, but what can do is make some simply delicious and surprisingly simple dishes that are also healthy. The Mediterranean diet is largely based around natural products and nourishing vegetables and fruits, and they are partial to a glass of wine or two with their meals! So how can you make a delicious pasta dish with home-made sauce?
Tale the Alfredo sauce, a classic with many pasta dishes. Great with a cheese dish and also with ham or bacon dishes, Alfredo sauce can be found on the shelves of your local store. But why buy that when you can make your own using fresh ingredients that will be far more delicious and authentic? Are you ready to learn how to make Alfredo sauce? Let’s get started then!
Basic Alfredo Sauce
When you go for a meal at your local Italian restaurant you will be enjoying chef-made sauces with your food. That’s what we’re talking about here! One aspect of getting Italian sauces exactly right, and we’ll tell you more about thickening Alfredo sauce in a moment. First, let’s have a look at the basic ingredients for a simple Alfredo sauce.
You need:
- Parmesan cheese
- Heavy cream
- Butter
That’s all! It seems simple looking at that and – if you follow our thickening tips – it is, so here’s how it’s done.
Let’s say you’re making enough sauce for 1lb of pasta. You’ll need 4oz of Parmesan, 8oz of heavy cream, and a stick of butter. A stick is equivalent to around half a cup or 4oz.
Before you start your sauce, set your pasta away to cook. As you know this will take just a few minutes, you can start the process of making the sauce when it’s almost ready. Melt the butter in a pan and, when cooked, add the pasta. Now add in the cream and the Parmesan and begin to toss the pasta until all is covered nicely with the mixture. It’s a great example of pasta as comfort food and surprisingly fast and simple. Now that’s the simple way, what about the thickening?
Thickening the Sauce
If you want to ensure your sauce is good and thick before you add it to the pasta you need to cook it separately in its own saucepan. This is a good idea as you can make extra for anyone who might want more. One way to thicken the sauce is to add more Parmesan and cream, but this may affect the flavour.
Perhaps the best way is to reduce the sauce. This happens when you keep it simmering in the pan and stir it constantly, and it reduces as the water evaporates. This method will intensify the flavour, so you need to keep checking.
Other methods of thickening the sauce include adding a different type of cheese, using starch or adding vegetable and cream cheese. The problem with each of these methods – and others – is that they affect the basic flavour which you want to leave alone.
This is why we prefer the simple, traditional method of adding the pasta to the butter and coating it while the sauce is being mixed with it. It might be hit and miss, but when you get it right it is delicious. One thing to remember is that while pasta is generally good for you it does contain gluten, so might not be for dinner guests who do not do gluten! For them, put the sauce on something else as they won’t want to miss out!
