Today while performing my daily abolitions I stuck my foot out and slipped right off my makeup bench and onto the floor. Thank goodness the stool was low because my body is still feeling the effects of this little adventure. I took one of my ‘magic’ pills, drifted off & proceeded to wake myself up with a loud ‘snort’! It has been a bit of an embarrassing day to say the least. I survived the floor encounter, and perhaps I provided a giggle to your day!
This week my dad called and said: ‘Deb, you’ve got to get me your recipe for shrimp Alfredo! I need it now, I promised it to someone, and you need to get it to me!’ Sure thing, no problem. I began to stutter just a bit because I hardly ever use recipes for my shrimp Alfredo. Each time I make it, it’s a tad different. The steps I use are also modified with each delivery.
I’m going to once again provide you with a requested ‘simple’ Alfredo sauce, but I’m going to present you with several different ideas on how I make sauces at my home. Basically speaking I make a great deal of roux bases. For example, it would be common for me to start with a couple tablespoons of butter, seasonings, with of course, garlic. At this stage I ‘sometimes’ add a bit of sherry or dry wine, and do a reduction. Then I move forward with heavy cream (sometimes half & half) and the cheese of my choice. I blend them smooth and if the sauce isn’t thick enough I sprinkle in a bit of ‘Wondra’ so I can seriously control the thickness. There are times that I do the thickening agent in with the garlic and butter at the very beginning.
Prepare the shrimp ahead of time. Our son, Phillip likes it when I grill the shrimp before putting them into the sauce. Sometimes I prep the shrimp earlier in the day and save the tails and shells. I’ll make a bit of a shrimp stock with the tails and shells. This brings in more seafood flavor in the sauce. This method is great for any seafood chowders too. Just before serving drop the shrimp into the sauce for a light warming.
Here in Missouri procuring good shrimp is a challenge. I prefer the ‘uncooked’ shrimp from Argentina best. If you buy shrimp that has already been cooked the flavor outcome will be poor. Good quality is expensive, but if you want to empress your guests it’s in your best interest. To keep the seafood smell out of the house for guests prep the shrimp the day before. As I stated once before I don’t like to cover up the flavor of the shrimp so my garnishes will be ultra-simple. Perhaps diced green onion tops, chives or smoked paprika.
Here’s a paragraph from 2021 when I ran my simple Alfredo sauce recipe:
The recipe today for simple Alfredo sauce is so handy to keep around. Sometimes I actually put the shrimp into the sauce and ladle it over fettucine noodles. Often I will sauté them and make a top presentation over the sauce and noodles. All kinds of things can go into an Alfredo. I was keeping mine simple with only a few green onion tops for additional color. However broccoli and mushrooms would be an easy addition too. Sometimes I have also played with the type of cheeses implemented. Still using parmesan, but also enhancing with a second cheese. First and foremost, however, do not use a bag of pre-shredded parmesan cheese. The sauce relies upon fresh grated and the moisture content, in order to produce a smooth outcome. Garlic is also used by many, in their sauce, perhaps a touch of paprika or red pepper to make it ‘sing’.
I try to whip a version of this up just about every time my dad is here for a visit because it’s one of his favorite dishes. I don’t make it like my mom did, but at least he gets his shrimp!
Keep enjoying the milder weather, who knows what the next month will bring!!
Feel free to leave the house a little messy and rest a little bit more often. Enjoy, Simply Yours, The Covered Dish.
Simple Alfredo Sauce
1 cup half and half cream
1 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons butter
Mix all the ingredients together and heat over medium to low heat. When the ingredients are heated thoroughly the sauce is complete. Never allow the sauce to come to a boil. You can also freeze this sauce for up to 2-3 months. This will cover about 9-12 ounces of pasta.
I have used this simple outline for Alfredo sauce for what seems like forever!
