Sunday, February 10, 2008

Chicken Fettucine Alfredo Marcelina

I prepared Marcie her meal with some consideration which you may not find common in a recipe of this type. She told me she liked shrimp, so I cooked her some and added it in. She liked pine nuts, so I integrated those in a couple of ways, too. Finally, I did not use light cream but half and half (with a little added marscapone).

Chicken Fettucine Alfredo (plus shrimp)

1/4 lb shrimp, cooked as detailed below
1/2 lb fettucine, cooked al dente
2 tbsp marscapone (optional)
2 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
half & half (light cream is okay, too)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, OR Parmesan mixed with Pecorino Romano
1 egg yolk (you don't need all of it)
1/4 stick of butter


Alfredo Sauce: Take a handful of pine nuts and roast them lightly in a dry pan, then set them into a steel bowl. Mash them into a paste with a spoon while still warm. Melt butter in a small saucepan. Put half & half in, add the yolk. Beat until well-mixed. Add Parmesan cheese, reserving some for later, and heat gently, adding a tablespoon or two of marscapone, stirring it all until it melts into a thickish liquid.

Do not boil or bubble the sauce, if you can avoid it. Heat it until it steams a bit.

To cook the shrimp, clean them (if necessary) and toss them into a pan with a good olive oil (say, McEvoy Ranch?) and cook them until they are opaque and firm, adding a squeeze of lemon juice and some pepper to taste.

Toss chicken, noodles and shrimp. You can serve it sprinkled with the extra Parmesan or Parmesan/Romano mix, or step it up a little by broiling it for a few minutes in a casserole dish. Sprinkle the rest of the pine nuts (lightly roasted while you broil the dish) around the plate as a tasty garnish, with a leaf or two of basil to boot.

The recipe above, with all of the richest and most delicious additions, are what I fed Marcie. I recommend adding a wonderful greens salad with tomato and crumbled Gorgonzola and a balsamic vinaigrette.

Wine... Must. Have. Wine. Red is okay, as Marcie demanded that with hers, but a good Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc is good, too.

3 comments:

Lana Banana said...

Sounds sinfully scrumptious . . . I think I'm gonna test drive it this coming weekend, so thanks!

Marcie clearly had it right. One can never go wrong with seafood and nuts.

Though, if I may . . . two recommendations . . . one for the salad, one for the wine.

First, there's a vinaigrette called "Brianna's Home Style Blush Wine Dressing" that is stellar. I like to do a bed of Spinach/Spring Mix greens, topped with a sprinkling of goat cheese, candied walnuts, and Brianna's vinaigrette.

Second . . . Dr. Loosen's Reisling. You can get it at Wine.com. I'm a bit of a Reisling whore (shhhhh) and I've found that this is one of the best.

Yowza.

On a more serious note, thanks for sharing your experiences one here. You have a tremendous gift for writing and were clearly inspired by one magnificent muse.

I haven't said it before and I suppose it seems awkward from a stranger, but I'm so sorry for your loss.

I've been reading your space for only a short while, but every time I do I think, "If only the world were filled with more people like Marcie" . . . and like you.

Hope you're taking good care.

Cheers,

LB

Unknown said...

Thank you, Lana. I may give that wine a go. Just what, may I ask, does the Dr. Loosen? Okay, that was a terrible joke, but you did say...

Well, never mind.

My perfect world would be filled with Marcies... and one me.

Lana Banana said...

Maybe "terrible" is too strong a word . . .