Fettuccine, also spelled as fettuccini, is ribbon-like thick Italian pasta that resembles noodles. This pasta is similar to tagliatelle and is generally made fresh at home; however, these days the dried variety is readily available in the market. One of the most popular preparations of this pasta is Fettuccine Alfredo, which is made with regular as well as spinach flavored pasta that is tossed in melted butter and parmesan cheese. Ragu made with either beef (sugo d’umido) or chicken (ragu di pollo) are popular accompaniments of this ribbon pasta. Other popular recipes of this pasta include Fettuccine Bolognese, Creamy Chicken & Mushroom Fettuccine, Cracked Black Pepper Fettuccine with Mushrooms and Zucchini and Sage Fettuccine.

Origin

There is no recorded proof of the exact origin of fettuccine; however, it is one of the oldest pastas that was and is available almost all over Italy and is known by various names in different regions. From the early days, this pasta was prepared by combining with rich cream sauces, seafood and meats. This pasta is made by rolling out egg based dough and then cutting out thick strips that resemble ribbons, which are known as fettucce.  Today, the pasta, made from durum wheat is available all over the world.

Popular Accompaniments

Fettuccine pairs very well with various ingredients such as -

• Meats (beef, chicken, bacon pork)
• Seafood such as shrimp
• Sauces (alfredo sauce, cream based sauces, walnut sauce, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, ragu)
• Cheeses (such as parmesan, asiago, romano)
• Vegetables (most vegetables such as celery, spinach, carrots, pepper)
• Mushrooms
• Herbs (such as basil, thyme, rosemary, parsley)

Popular Fettuccine Recipes

There are many popular preparations of fettuccine –

• Fettuccine Alfredo – This popular dish is very easy to prepare. Pasta is cooked till al dente and drained off excess water. This is then tossed with butter and parmesan cheese, which thickens as the cheese melts and coats the pasta thoroughly. Other ingredients such as broccoli, cream, parsley and shrimp are also added to the dish. Shrimp can be replaced with chicken.Other variations of this dish include using asiago cheese instead of parmesan.

There is a variety of Alfredo sauces used for flavoring this dish, which include –

-          Hot and Spicy Alfredo sauce

-          Sauce Alfredo with Lemon

-          Low Fat Alfredo sauce

-          Pesto Alfredo sauce

-          Alfredo sauce with Chorizo

-          Sauce Alfredo with tomatoes

• Fettuccine Bolognese – This is another popular preparation of this pasta. Vegetables such as celery, carrots and onions are sautéed well to which mushrooms and garlic are added and cooked for some time. Ground beef is added along with thyme and cooked for a while along with tomato sauce and broth. When the contents have simmered and reduced in quantity, salt and pepper are added to taste. This meat mixture is tossed with the cooked pasta. This pasta dish is best eaten hot with a garnish of parmesan cheese.
• Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Fettuccine – Pasta is cooked till al dente and tossed with a sauce made from cooked and browned chicken pieces, fried bacon, mushrooms, and onions that have been simmered in cream, chicken soup and Worcestershire sauce. The sauce is flavored with parsley. After the pasta is tossed well in the sauce, it is seasoned with salt and pepper and served hot.

Wine Pairing

Fettuccine pairs well wines such as Verdicchio, Chardonnay, Reisling, Cabernet, and Sauvignon.