The twins Anjali and Rani brought back a bunch of Italian goodies from their school trip to Italy recently -Parmigiano reggiano cheese, balsamic vinegar, pasta, and honey infused with balsamic vinegar.  The parmigiano reggiano cheese was amazingly delicious 😋 and tasted so good that Hitesh asked me to make a pasta with just the cheese, and I did!

Gosh, when food is made with quality ingredients it really doesn’t need much by way of flavor enhancers. I didn’t even add any herbs to this parmesan pasta, just olive oil and garlic with salt and pepper. What is it about pasta that makes one feel so good? Pasta has to be God’s gift to man, the ultimate comfort food.

Parmigiano Reggiano Fettuccini

Ingredients:

• 1 lb fettuccini pasta
• 2 cups grated or crumbled parmigiano reggiano cheese
• 6 cloves garlic finely minced
• Olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• Salt and pepper
• Red chili flakes (optional)

Directions:

• Cook pasta according to package directions, be sure to save 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
• In a large pot heat 3 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter.
• Add the garlic and sauté for a few seconds.  Add red chili flakes if using and toast in oil for a couple of seconds.
• Immediately add the cooked pasta. Mix the pasta in with the garlic oil.
• Next add the Parmigiano reggiano cheese and black pepper.  Add the 1-cup pasta water and toss all the ingredients together. Pasta is ready.
• Serve pasta warm with garnish of extra cheese.

To turn this delectable pasta into a delicious meal, I served it with a side of caprese salad and ended dinner with vanilla ice cream drizzled with thick balsamic vinegar that the kids had brought back from Bologna 😋.

Mangiamo!
Let’s eat! in Italian