Alfredo-Style Fettucini

Ideally, cooking is a contemplative time; accompanied by peaceful, rhythmic striding from cupboard to stove, stove to fridge and back. I like to listen to NPR, Sarah Brightman or soundtracks from movies while I prepare food, and I enjoy this especially on Saturday mornings when everyone else is asleep. The reality is much more chaotic, though. Last night was a typical example: the Siamese kitten came out of the laundry room adjacent to the kitchen (which houses the cat boxes) looking strangely sheepish, which was soon followed by a mad dash by the humans to light 15 or so candles. Jasper the Goat (who loves to escape and roam the neighborhood and has to be tied to a goat-run) apparently had stood up on his hind legs and circled while revolving around the olive tree five or six times while eating the leaves. This means he was tied to a tree standing up, and with a drama known only to goats, he was bleating to a world about kidnapping, ransom and hostage. After he was freed, and once again things were back to business in the kitchen, my sister ran in to inform me, horrified, that the dog was scooting around on the wooden living room floor on his heinie.

A woman from our parish church once told me that prayer for your loved ones while you prepare a meal will nurture your family spiritually as well as physically. Unfortunately, I tend to sound something like Jasper when I pray in the kitchen; unintelligible bleating for mercy, usually when the oven starts smoking.

After such hard work, I think of the old saying: "Hunger is the best sauce". After all this chaos, the food has a pretty good sauce!

Should take 30 minutes. Found at PCRM Nutrition.

Alfredo-Style Fettuccine

1TBS olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 TBS dry white wine
1/3 C blanched almonds
6 oz silken tofu

1 TBS white miso paste (found at orchard nutrition)
1 1/2 C soy milk
1/2 tsp or more to taste
dash ground nutmeg
dash cayenne
1 lb fettuccine
2 TBS minced fresh parsley

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, cover and cook without browning, until the onion is tender, about5-7 minutes. Stir in the wine and set aside.
Finely ground the almonds in a blender or food processor. Add the reserved onion mixture and puree until smooth. Add the tofu and miso and process until blended. Add 1 cup of soy milk and the salt, nutmeg and cayenne and process until smooth. Slowly add as much of the remaining soy milk as necessary until the desired consistency is reached.
Transfer the sauce t a saucepan and heat over low heat. Taste to adjust the seasonings. Keep the sauce warm until the pasta is ready.
Cook the fettuccine in a large pot of boiling, salted water until pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain well and place i a shallow serving bowl. Add the sauce and toss to combine.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot.