08-15-2005, 10:40 PM
MIL said to me today "you can cook for me anytime".
She asked me to fix up some Italian for a dinner guest she had, but she had to work late so didn't have time to cook.
Alfredo:
- Melt about a Tbsp of butter in a saucepan over low heat. Wait until the butter is frothing, then:
- Chop up 3 cloves of garlic nice and fine, and add them to the butter
- Add some salt, fresh ground black pepper, nutmeg and a dash of cayenne
- Keep on the heat until the garlic just starts to turn golden brown
- Remove from the heat and stir in a packet of cream cheese
- Put back on the heat and stir the cream cheese occasionally, to get the garlic and other flavours mixed in
- Cook until the cheese gets a little lumpy, starts to look a bit like cottage cheese. This will avoid it curdling later
- Stir in enough milk (preferably whole milk, but any fat-removed milk is fine too) to produce the thickness and quantity you need
- Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Taste, add more seasoning if required
- THEN remove from heat and add some grated parmesan and/or romano (preferably the fresh stuff rather than the powder stuff that doesn't even sit in the fridge at the store) - a couple of tablespoons worth. Whisk thoroughly.
I served it with some wholewheat penne, some garlic bread made out of honey wheat slices, and a balsamic vinaigrette with chopped fresh tomatoes from her FIL's garden.
She asked me to fix up some Italian for a dinner guest she had, but she had to work late so didn't have time to cook.
Alfredo:
- Melt about a Tbsp of butter in a saucepan over low heat. Wait until the butter is frothing, then:
- Chop up 3 cloves of garlic nice and fine, and add them to the butter
- Add some salt, fresh ground black pepper, nutmeg and a dash of cayenne
- Keep on the heat until the garlic just starts to turn golden brown
- Remove from the heat and stir in a packet of cream cheese
- Put back on the heat and stir the cream cheese occasionally, to get the garlic and other flavours mixed in
- Cook until the cheese gets a little lumpy, starts to look a bit like cottage cheese. This will avoid it curdling later
- Stir in enough milk (preferably whole milk, but any fat-removed milk is fine too) to produce the thickness and quantity you need
- Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Taste, add more seasoning if required
- THEN remove from heat and add some grated parmesan and/or romano (preferably the fresh stuff rather than the powder stuff that doesn't even sit in the fridge at the store) - a couple of tablespoons worth. Whisk thoroughly.
I served it with some wholewheat penne, some garlic bread made out of honey wheat slices, and a balsamic vinaigrette with chopped fresh tomatoes from her FIL's garden.