Fettucine Alfredo a la Moo

Moo wrote to me, "Fettucine Alfred is so classic but even so there are many great variations. This one is mine."

1/2 lb. noodles, Moo recommended a slightly wider noodle, she also preferred fresh, undried noodles
1/4 lb. unsalted butter, diced
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream, warmed
1/2 tsp. pepper

Cook noodles al dente, drain and put in a hot serving dish. Add remaining ingredients and toss quickly and thoroughly. Cheese and butter should melt into a creamy sauce that coats the noodles. Use a large fork and spoon as if you are tossing a salad.

Moo's fresh noodle recipe: 5 eggs beaten with 2 tsp salt. Beat in flour until you can no longer use the beater (about 2 cups). Leave dough in the bowl and dust with a little more flour and start kneading with your hands until it really holds its shape. Transfer to a plastic bag and rest for 30 minutes. Knead and add extra flour as needed. Start making noodles.

Moo's Noodles Baked Like a Cake

Noodles, while delicious any time, are real comfort food in winter. When it was cold outside, Moo loved to cook noodles, which we usually made from scratch. This is a great palate pleaser and quite unusual.

Pasta
1 pound rigatoni, cooked and drained
3 heaping T parmesan cheese
3 T sweet butter

Crust
2 T sweet butter, softened
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Filling
8 oz. mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated
1/4 pound Italian ham (prosciutto), sliced thin

Cook rigatoni, drain and return to the pot. Add butter and parmesan cheese. Toss to coat the pasta. Set aside. Grease a round 1-quart baking dish (about cake height). In a bowl, combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. Add about 1/4 cup of the crumb/cheese mix to the greased dish and shake dish to spread a thin coating of the mix across the bottom of the dish. Shake out the excess mixture that is not adhering to the bottom of the baking dish (reserve it). In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg and pour this in the baking dish. Tilt and move dish around until egg evenly coats the bottom. Again add about 1/4 cup crumb/cheese mix and shake around to coat bottom of dish again. Pour off excess (reserve it).

Layer 1/3 of the pasta into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 1/3 mozzarella and 1/2 of the ham strips and 1/3 of the remaining crumb/cheese mix. Repeat these layers twice over and top with crumb/cheese mix. You can refrigerate now until you are ready to cook and serve.

When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 20-30 minutes (if room temperature) or 45 minutes if coming directly from the oven. Cool about 10 minutes. Loosen around the edges and turn out like a cake onto a serving platter.

Moo's Sweet Noodle Kugel

As I've said elsewhere, our family enjoyed kugel. This recipe is a variation on Moo's original recipe. It too is a palate pleaser.

5 eggs, separated
1 Golden Delicious apple, peeled and grated
1/2 cup strawberry preserves
1 eight-oz. can crushed pineapple
3 T honey
8 oz. medium-width noodles, cooked and drained
3 T butter
Cinnamon sugar for garnish

Beat egg yolks, add grated apple, preserves, pineapple and honey. Add noodles and toss gently. In another bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Carefully fold egg whites into noodle mixture. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 1-quart baking dish and pour in the noodle mixture. Dot top with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

Pasta del Moo

This is a little something Moo made up. She wrote it down in a letter she sent to me while I was in college. I guess Daddy considered it a real palate pleaser because Moo wrote, "It was delicious--Daddy ate his and part of mine." She didn't give me quantities for every ingredient. It's an intuitive thing based on how many people you will be serving and the flavor you're going for, and I've left it as she originally wrote it.

Several slices of firm white bread, cubed
Butter or olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
Green noodles
Salt
1 pkg. Italian salad dressing mix (dry)
1 1/2 cup sour cream

Cube several slices of bread and saute in butter (or olive oil) and garlic. Set aside. Cook green noodles in salted water. Drain then dump noodles back in pot. Add a little more butter and a package of Italian salad dressing mix. You can do this all ahead if you want. When you are ready to serve, add sour cream a little more olive oil or butter and the sauted bread cubes. Mix thoroughly, head and serve.

Moo's Best Noodle Kugel

The first time any of us tasted this Jewish favorite was in a Scarsdale deli. We became instant fans. It's one of those ethnic pasta specialties of which every cuisine can boast. If you've never had kugel, try this recipe. Like so many things Moo cooked, she would prepare a dish with a recipe and then start innovating. Moo's kugel is a palate pleaser.

In a large bowl, combine thoroughly 2 cups milk; 1 cup each of cottage cheese, sugar and sour cream; 4 large eggs, lightly beaten; ½ c. of golden raisins; 4 oz. cream cheese, softened; ½ stick (1/4 c.) butter, melted; 2 T vanilla; and 1 t. salt. In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook ½ lb. fine egg noodles for 5 minutes. Drain them well and combine them with the milk mixture. Pour the mixture into a baking dish (13x9x2”) and drizzle ½ stick (1/4 c.) butter (melted) over the top. Bake the pudding in a preheated 400 oven for 1 hour. Do not cover when baking. Serve slightly warm.