I found my recipe for fettuccine Alfredo in a spiral-bound community cookbook back in college. The ingredients and instructions were deceptively simple. Melt one part butter into two parts heavy cream. Stir in two parts Parmesan, shredded. Salt and pepper to taste. It made a silky cream sauce that clung to noodles and slices of grilled chicken.
It’s a comfort dish I still make on busy nights when I have only a few minutes to cook dinner. I serve it as lunch to my relatives during holidays and to friends who stop by after work or stay over the weekend.
That recipe has evolved with a clove or three of minced garlic. A handful of chopped basil. A pinch of chile flakes or a scratch of nutmeg to taste. Less cream, more pasta water. If I have an hour, I’ll make the fettuccine from scratch.
Like lasagna and chicken parm, fettuccine Alfredo is among the enduring Italian American dishes that are not only distinct from their Italian cousins, they also represent the US culinary canon with versions that satisfy the palates of Americans of all backgrounds and regions.
These dishes also represent comfort. Pastas in rich sauces, hearty soups filled with beans and sausage, and winter greens sautéed with seafood exemplify why restaurant industry surveys and internet searches find Italian American among the most popular cuisines in the US.
In this issue we explore how Italian American dishes continue to inspire. Chris Morocco takes us on a trip to his favorite restaurants in the Little Italies throughout the Northeast, where you’ll find pizza, broccoli rabe, and plenty of marinara.
Morocco then takes us to the BA Test Kitchen, where he’s created some contemporary Italian American recipes that add zip and umami. To round out our menus, Rebecca Firkser whisks up weeknight zabaglione. And Sam Stone gives us a pour of American grappa.
My favorite Italian/Italian American cookbooks
ITALIAN AMERICAN by Angie Rito and Scott Tacinelli
The famous recipe for pinwheel lasagna that adorns the cover is one of my go-to dishes.
THE SILVER SPOON published by Phaidon Press
This 75-year-old classic from Italian design magazine Domus modernized Italian home cooking and became an essential title on many shelves.
THE PASTA BOOK by Marc Vetri and David Joachim
This cookbook by the James Beard Award–winning chef has all the tools for leveling up your pasta skills.
