Fetucci--ME Some Alfredo (Low-Carb Homemade Pasta)

Want to know why my husband and I don't go to Italy?

Well, obviously because there's no surf there. But, for our purposes, I'd like to believe it's because of all that pasta.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking; Italy is more than pasta. But my husband doesn't approve of me buying leather jackets either, so that's that.

As for the pasta? Well, this weekend I had some, thanks to a bit of creativity mixed with some good old-fashioned feelings of deprivation.

I admit; I had my doubts. I even picked up a package of whole wheat penne ready to boil for the husband in the event that disaster struck. But luck be ours, the non-Italian pasta gods were with me and we enjoyed this homemade fettuccine together. Rick himself called it "tasty." Not to mention that this stuff is packed with protein and uber low in carbs.

Here's the thing: homemade pasta is simple, but it's time-consuming. Lucky for me, my mother-in-law rocks. Before I even married her son, she gifted me the Kitchenaid pasta maker attachment set for Christmas (told she was awesome). Score one for homemade low-carb fettuccine. 

If your mother-in-law is not as awesome, you could try rolling this out and cutting it yourself. I guess it all depends on how far you're willing to go for Italy (without actually going to Italy).

Low Carb Egg Fettuccini 

1 cup soy flour
1 cup vital wheat gluten
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup water

Combine soy flour, vital wheat gluten, and salt in your mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the egg with the olive oild and water.  Combine with dry mixture and beat for 20-40 seconds. Using your dough hook (or hands, if you happen to be a pioneer or you gave up electricity for Lent), knead the dough for 3-4 minutes.

Wrap the dough and refrigerate for an hour. It may smell weird. This is normal. Soy isn't known for it's pleasant scent. This goes away once it cooks -- or else I'm more desperate than I thought.

Remove the dough and separate into four small pieces. Feed through the pasta roller 4-5 times, then feed it through the fettuccini cutter (again, assuming that your mother-in-law is awesome).

 
Boil some water with a 1/2 tsp salt. Dump the pasta in and cook for 2 minutes. Be wary; this stuff cooks QUICK. You'll know it's done when it's floating and the water is foaming. Don't stop and take a picture because you'll overcook the pasta. I'm guessing.

Drain and top with store-bought alfredo sauce and rotisserie chicken meat because you just made HOMEMADE pasta.. do you REALLY need to make the sauce from scratch? I'm not Martha Freaking Stewart.

 As a side note, Classico makes a delightful light alfredo sauce. This is helpful if you're like me and cutting your carbs doesn't mean a fat free-for-all (sorry, Dr. Atkins).