fettuccine alfredo...AND homemade noodles

maybe this is an oldie....but I've never made it before so it counts. i also have to say i was on a very strict budget this week....and picked the recipe because the only ingredient i needed to buy was the whipping cream. AND since i felt bad it seemed a little too simple...i decided to try out my noodle press for the very first time.

homemade pasta

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon dried basil or sage (i used basil)

2 eggs

1/3 cup water

1 teaspoon cooking oil or olive oil

In a large bowl stir together 2 cups of flour, the basil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Make a well int eh center of the flour mixture. In a small bowl beat eggs; add water and oil. Add egg mixture to flour mixture; stir to combine.

Sprinkle a clean kneading surface with the remaining 1/3 cup flour. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Cover and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

Divide the dough into four balls and begin to run the dough through the pasta press. I started with the thickest setting and turned the knob down each time...from 7 down to 3 since i was going for a fettuccine type pasta. every third time i passed the dough through the press i lightly floured it so it wouldn't stick together as i moved on. Once all the dough was at the right thickness i let it rest again for about 20 minutes and got the alfredo sauce started.

alfredo sauce

1/2 cup butter or margarine (1 stick)

1/2 cup whipping cream

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon salt

dash of pepper

chopped fresh parsley

In a saucepan, heat the butter and whipping cream over low heat, stiffing constantly, until butter is melted. Stir in cheese, salt and dash of pepper until mixture is smooth. with the sauce on low heat i went back to cut the pasta dough and then boil it. Since it's homemade it only takes about 2 minutes to cook.

Once pasta is cooked (tender not mushy) I drained it and added it to the saucepan and mixed in the alfredo sauce. Thats it! I also added a bit of parsley i chopped up from the herb garden i planted earlier this year and tah dah! first recipe of the year is finished!

recipes compliments of:

alfredo sauce: Betty Crocker Cooking Basics

homemade pasta: Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook