National Fettuccine Alfredo Day

I needed a reason to fill up on some carbs and what better reason than #NationalFettuccineAlfredoDay! It just so happened to be a church night for my mom's church and we tend to serve food at least once a month AND it was one of our member's birthday. How serendipitous right!? It was meant for me to cook alfredo today! Because of the national holiday, Olive Garden actually has shared the secrets to their alfredo sauce recipe! This is a #FlashbackFriday photo from the 1st time I ever made chicken fettuccine alfredo.

Fettuccine Alfredo has a funny creation story behind it. It was actually created by what I imagine to be a scared and desperate husband who was in desperate need to make his wife happy. In 1908, an Italian restauranteur Alfredo di Lelio was concerned about his wife Ines who wasn't eating and had no appetite due to issues with her pregnancy of her 1st son Armando.  Happy wife, happy life right? At least that's what they say. Alfredo di Lelio had a good year that year, as their firsts born came into the world just fine on February 26, 1908, and his new restaurant menu item became very popular.

His recipe was simple and current-day recipes haven't changed much. Noodles, cheese, and butter are the main ingredients that helped create this popular dish. It can be customized by adding things such as shrimp, mushrooms, or spinach just to name a few. It also pairs great with white wine and it is great to finish up with a fruit dessert.

Alfredo di Lelio's grandson. Ines di Lelio, tries to make sure his grandfather's legacy of "Fettucine All 'Alfredo" as it was originally called is respected and even contacted the national food calendar website to provide the history in 2015. It is still served by family members in Rome, and if and when I get to Rome, visiting their restaurants is definitely top of my to-do-list. One restaurant is called II Vero Alfredo and is ran by his nephew Ines di' Lelio. Originator Alfredo di Lelio's restaurant was named Alfredo. His grandson celebrates every #NationalFettuccineAlfredoDay at his restaurant.

Alfredo di Lelio

It's Friday, the weather is great, and it's a perfect day for a date night. Whether you decide to cook or visit a restaurant like Olive Garden....have some Fettuccine Alfredo tonight. It's a very romantic dish. Because of the national holiday, Olive Garden actually has provided their famous recipe to its fans. See their recipe below and enjoy! Although I didn't try the homemade recipe because I found out about them giving away the recipe after I already bought sauce, I do plan to do it the Olive Garden way next time! Let me know how yours comes out!

3 oz wt butter
1 TBSP Garlic
2 TBSP All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup imported Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup imported Romano cheese, grated
Salt and black pepper to tast

PROCEDURES

1. SAUTEE the butter and garlic in a saucepan on medium heat. Cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.
2. ADD the remaining ingredients to saucepan and stir occasionally until the sauce begins to simmer. Remove from heat.
3. SERVE the Alfredo sauce over your favorite pasta, like fettuccine, linguine or bow tie.

Note: The key to making the best alfredo sauce is quality ingredients like a good butter and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Your alfredo sauce will be as good as the ingredients you put into it. To try the original Olive Garden’s fettuccine alfredo dish, see https://www.olivegarden.com/menu/fettuccine-alfredo/prod80168