Instructions: Procedure:
You all know how to boil water and make the pasta of your choice, so Im not going to insult you with directions for that. EYou know how, so do it. EI will recommend though, that if you are one of the talented who make homemade pasta or noodles (thick styles only), this sauce works fabulously on that stuff. By all means go for it. If not, frozen or so-called "fresh" pastas are usually better than dried, but any kind of pasta will work as long as its not too flimsy such as angel hair, thin spaghetti, or linguine (you can use linguine if you use peppers or onions to thin out the sauce a bit).

Okay. EHeres where that quality food processor comes in. EIf you use a crappy one, youll have to do this over and over in small amounts to get it right. EA decent food processor can get it all in one or two batches (depending upon the capacity of the food processor) at most. EThe better the food processor, the quicker the preparation and the better the sauce.

Here goes... EPut your garlic (or garlic shallot mixture) into the food processor. ELet the food processor make mush of it. EThats fine. EYoure making a smooth sauce here. EMush is good.

Note: If a taste test tells you that you need more garlic later, crush it first and make it as small and soft as possible. E

Now, without removing the garlic, add your basil and oregano. EGo ahead. EMake mush again. EThats what youre aiming for in this recipe. EE

If youre adding onions or peppers during the processing to thin the sauce (you can add them later during cooking instead to preserve the thick sauce), do so now.

Okay, your seasoning is now in your food processor. EIf your processor is large enough to handle all the cheese, leave the seasoning there. EIf not, remove portions accordingly. EFor example, if your food processor can only handle half the cheese, remove half the seasoning. EIf it can only handle one-third of the cheese, remove two-thirds of the seasoning. EDont panic.

Were talking approximations here. EIt will all get mixed together in the pot. Now that we have the appropriate amount of seasoning mush in the food processor, start adding the ricotta or cottage cheese. EUsing "pulse" works best. EThe object of the game is to remove all the lumps. EYes, all of them. Youre going to turn those cheese curds into a smooth sauce. E

Once youve removed all lumps and bumps, youre going to put them back in by adding the Romano and/or Parmesan cheese. EAgain, go a little at a time. EUse pulse. EAnd get every last lump out.

Now you see why I said that a good quality food processor is imperative. A good machine will make short work of your cheese. EYoull be amazed at how quickly all those lumps turn into a smooth white sauce. On the other hand, if you use a cheesy machine (I couldnt resist), getting the texture right can take you hours. Dont blame me if you chance it. I warned you repeatedly! Okay. If your food processor was large enough to handle all the ingredients, its time to transfer the sauce to the sauce pan. If not, transfer what you have (do not heat yet) and repeat the process until all your ingredients (except the pasta and added extras, of course) are now part of a smooth sauce.

Use a large, preferably wooden, spoon to mix your batches (if you had to make more than one) together. Put a painfully low fire or heat setting on under your sauce. EIf youre adding extras (delicious, but entirely unnecessary), do so now. Keep stirring.

Remember the old adage about a watched pot never boiling? Good. Watch that pot and keep stirring. If you let the sauce boil, the texture will change and you will have cheese-flavored garbage. By the way, if you do it right and dont let this boil, the flavor comes out more creamy than cheesy.

I dont know why. EIt just does.

Pretend this is something youre going to give an infant. EUnless youre good enough to know for sure when the sauce is hot before it boils, test the temperature with a clean pinky. EWhen it feels warm enough to enjoy, its done! EIm not Martha Stewart. EI use the pinky test. EWhen its nice and warm, your sauce is finished. EServe with your pasta and smile modestly at all the compliments.

Note: Using a clean pinky or a fresh spoon, you can taste your sauce at any time, even before heating it to see if it needs more garlic or more hard cheese (Romano or Parmesan) added to the soft cheese (Ricotta or Cottage). E

Dont be afraid to taste it. ETheres nothing in it that will hurt you eaten uncooked. EIf you taste it during the processing and its too bland, dont add salt. EAdd more hard cheese. EIf its too strong, add more soft cheese. EA couple of judicious taste tests the first time you make this will result in a sauce more to your personal liking and a much easier time the next time you make it (and I bet you will once you taste this stuff).

For ingredients, see Reduced Fat & Calorie Fettucine Alfredo - INGREDIENTS

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