In the United States is now must: there is no "Italian" restaurant that does not offer them on the menu or a supermarket that does not sell the ready-made jar with Alfredo sauce. A simple but exquisite buttered pasta topped with excellent quality Parmesan which, artfully whipped, create a delicious cream that blends best with the pasta and becomes truly irresistible. We could define it as "an Italian recipe but seasoned with an American flavor". But let's find out why …

It all started like this …

They were the early twentieth century and among the streets of Rome the air was already enveloping, warm, and passers-by were attracted by that intoxicating scent that came out of the small taverns. In via della Scrofa, there was the Alfredo inn, who did nothing but "churn out" succulent dishes. One of these was prepared by Alfredo for his wife after the birth of their first child. It was a real energy dish: egg fettuccine with butter and Parmesan cheese that restored her strength. But she wasn't the only one who found them delicious. This extremely simple dish conquered the palate of two stars of the silent Hollywood cinema, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, who on the occasion of their honeymoon in Rome were lucky enough to savor the already famous cuisine of the Roman cook. So welcoming, so warm and good, like the owner. So it was that to thank him the two actors gave him as a gift two gold cutlery: a fork and a spoon in solid gold engraved with a dedication: "To Alfredo the King of the noodles", read by every illustrious person who passed by and had the honor of tasting the most majestic Fettuccine with these real cutlery "King of the kitchen". The fettuccine thus landed overseas, gaining a crazy notoriety, which led the Italian restaurant to become an essential stop for the American jet set visiting the capital.

Symbol of Italian gastronomy, the fettuccine Alfredo in America are obviously much more seasoned and "messed up" than those proposed by the historic chef, but still make all the taste buds "enjoy".

The original recipe

Ingredients: 300 g of semolina flour – 3 medium eggs – 60 g of soft butter – about 130 g of finely grated 24 months Parmesan cheese – salt.

Place the flour on the work surface, add the eggs and a pinch of salt, mix the ingredients first with a fork and then with your hands, kneading until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. Then form a loaf, cover it with a cloth and let it rest for about an hour. Take the dough and roll it out into a very thin sheet with a rolling pin. Then fold the flaps inside several times until you get a flat roll and with a knife cut the fettuccine to the desired width (which should not exceed 1/2 cm). Alternatively, you can prepare the fettuccine with the pasta maker, passing the dough through increasingly thinner rollers to the desired thickness. Bring plenty of salted water to a boil in a saucepan. Meanwhile, arrange the butter in small pieces in a large hot oval dish. Boil the pasta, turning it in the water to prevent it from sticking. After about half a minute, remove the fettuccine from the pot without draining them: take a few at a time with the help of a fork and spread them directly on the prepared dish, with a little of their cooking water. It will be used for the creaming and must not be too much (the sauce would be liquid) nor too little (the fettuccine would be dry). After having arranged all the noodles on the plate, sprinkle them with the Parmesan cheese, covering them entirely. With the help of a spoon and a fork, whisk the fettuccine, being careful not to break them, until you get a smooth and not too liquid cream. Divide the pasta into plates and serve immediately, piping hot.

AMOR: The social web series promoted by Alfredo alla Scrofa

Not only fettuccine but also "social entertaiment". So for Alfredo another experience began. In fact, in the first week of February 2021, it launched the Amor project created by the students of the IED in Rome to promote the stories and iconic dishes of seven famous Roman chefs, through video stories and funny Roman expressions created by Rome is More. All to bring back a smile by telling about cooking in these hard times dictated by the pandemic.