Fettucine Alfredo with Sausage

Creamy sauce coating thin strands of pasta accented by chunks of sweet sausage. It just doesn't get any more luxurious than Fettucine Alfredo with Sausage.



I used Lidia Bastianich's recipe, which is my standby. We had some sweet Italian sausage in the freezer and since SP is a sausage fiend, I cooked up a few links to go with the fettucine. I removed the casings and broke the links into large chunks then browned them in a tiny bit of oil. I did this last night so all I had to do tonight was cook the pasta (SP was kind enough to start the water for me before I got home so it was ready when I was) and make the sauce. Once the cream, butter and chicken stock was boiling, I added the sausage so it could reheat in the sauce. I even used some of the pasta cooking water to warm the pasta bowls.

Fettucine Alfredo
Courtesy of Lidia Bastianich

1 lb fettucine
Salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup heavy cream (I usually use a full cup)
½ cup chicken stock
2 egg yolks
¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black peppercorns

Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. Cook the pasta, semi-covered, stirring occasionally, according to package directions.

Meanwhile, drop the butter into a large skillet and place over medium heat. Before the butter has a chance to melt fully and separate, pour in the heavy cream and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and season lightly with salt and finely ground pepper.

If the skillet is large enough to accommodate the sauce and pasta, fish the pasta out of the boiling water with a large wire skimmer and add it directly to the sauce in the skillet. If not, drain the pasta, return it to the pot and pour in the sauce. Bring the sauce and pasta to a boil, stirring to coat the pasta with sauce. Cook until the sauce is reduced enough to form a creamy, gliding sauce, then drop in the egg yolks, one at a time, stirring well after each. (If the sauce becomes too dense, thin it a little with more chicken stock or a little of the pasta cooking water.)

Remove from the heat, sprinkle the grated cheese and coarse black pepper over the pasta, toss well and serve immediately in warm bowls.