Lucy, Mamma and Abbey’s Pasta

There’s this dish called Lucy’s Pasta from Dom DeLuise’s cookbook, ‘Eat This…It’ll Make You Feel Better!’.  Love me some Dom.  (Both the man and the bubbly)  My mom has the book and I can remember her using it throughout my childhood.  I can also remember her making Lucy’s Pasta.  It is one of the yummiest things I can remember eating at home.  It’s a creamy pasta dish that contains no cream, only beaten eggs and Parmesan, similar to a carbonara.  I was thinking about this dish the other day and thought I would recreate it.  My mom still has the cookbook, but I didn’t feel like going over there to get it and…I kinda like making things without instructions.  Who am I kidding?  I only make things without instructions!!

Most of my dishes are inspired by something I have eaten before, something I had a dream about, or even something I saw a picture of in a magazine.  I like to see where my brain will take a dish, then I may do the research after I make it just to see what someone else has done with it.  In this case, I was using my memory and my mother’s memory (so, come to think of it, my dish probably has nothing to do with the original).  We both remember another dish in Dom’s cookbook called Mamma’s Pasta, or Pasta Mama.  So this, I believe may be a combination of that and Lucy’s Pasta.  Either way, it is delicious.  I took some liberties and elaborated on what I remember the original dish being and I’m very pleased with what I ended up with.  I do hope you enjoy it.

*Fettuccine with Basil and Sweet Onions

-In a large skillet heat a couple TB of olive oil on medium-high heat
and add 1 large onion, thinly sliced.  Allow the onions to become brown,
stirring only when you feel necessary.  And salt them only after
they’ve become brown.  Add a couple pinches of sugar as well.  Taste to
check seasoning and set aside.
-Meanwhile, boil 1 lb of fettuccine in heavily salted water, reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining. (Use fresh if you can, it makes a huge difference.  And use my recipe if you wanna make your own!)
-In a mixing bowl, beat 4 large eggs and add 1 cup of grated Parmesan (this is 3 oz), 1 cup EACH of chopped basil and flat leaf parsley, 1/2 cup of you reserved pasta water, the zest of one lemon, 1/2 tsp of kosher salt and a lot of freshly cracked black pepper.
-Return the pasta to the pot, with the heat on medium, and pour in your beaten egg mixture.  Begin stirring quickly. You want the eggs to cook, but not scramble.  If you stir fast, then they will become creamy and coat your noddles.  Add more pasta water if you feel it’s too tight.
-Serve and garnish with the sweet fried onions and more herbs if you’d like.