Dinner: Chicken Fettucine Alfredo

I was forced into Williams-Sonoma last year, as my wife got a gift card for me for Christmas. I had always avoided the store like a dieter avoids candy; I knew I could not be trusted in such a place (I have, however, restrained myself every time I've been since). With that gift card, I purchased a pasta machine. We've been making fresh pasta about 60-70% of the time since.

The instructions for the pasta machine noted that Semolina flour was traditionally used for pasta making. Semolina is made from durum wheat. The flour itself is a bit coarse (compared to white flour) and hard. This makes for a hard time kneading. The last time I made pasta, I was EXTREMELY frustrated, as the 2 servings took me about an hour and a half to make. Last night, I took matters into my own hands. The pasta pictured was made with a 1:1 ratio of semolina to white flour. That made the dough MUCH more pliable and easy to work with. The recipe I used was:

• 1c semolina flour
• 1c white flour
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1t fine sea salt
• 2T extra virgin olive oil
• water, as needed

Mix dry ingredients and form a well. Pour beaten eggs into the well and work into the dry ingredients. Work olive oil in. Continue to knead, adding water to get to a good consistency (it will be a bit sticky). Follow your pasta machine's instructions for making the pasta. No pasta machine? Roll out to the desired thickness and use a knife to cut the desired width.

Next time, I'll revise that a bit and convert the inaccurate volumetric measurements to weights. The yield was just under a pound. I cooked 9oz., though 8 would probably have sufficed for the two of us.

I've been working on my alfredo for awhile, and I just started writing everything down within the past couple months. I have a Moleskine dedicated to the kitchen, and I take note of everything I create, keeping track of successes, failures and constructive criticism. I'm pretty happy with my basic alfredo:

• 1c heavy cream
• 2.5T butter
• 3oz. grated Parmesan (reggiano, if you can)
• 1.25oz. grated Asiago
• a couple drops of extra virgin olive oil
• a dash of salt and white pepper (be careful with the salt - Parmesan is a salty cheese)

Melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low to medium heat. Add the cream and bring to a simmer. Whisking constantly, start adding the cheeses a little at a time. Add more or less of each to taste. Whisk constantly until a silky consistency is reached.

The chicken? I just sliced a boneless, skinless breast and added salt and pepper. I then pan-seared it in olive oil in an iron skillet over medium to medium-high heat.

It's garnished with some dried parsley and served with some homemade focaccia au levain.