Pick-a-Pasta

Low carb diets are out! Return to pasta for a satisfying meal and consider these authentic Italian dishes served in the finest restaurants.

Fettuccini Carbonara
6 oz. fettuccine pasta
3 oz. heavy cream
1oz. pancetta
1/2 oz. garlic
1 oz. olive oil
1 oz. Parmesan cheese
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
1 basil sprig

Cook pasta in pasta cooker until tender. Sauté garlic and pancetta in olive oil. Add cooked pasta, cream and Parmesan cheese. Reduce until thickened. Roll with pasta fork and place in pasta bowl. Ladle on extra sauce. Garnish with fresh basil.

Lobster Fra Diablo
Murano’s, The Grand Casino, Tunica

10 oz. cold water lobster tail
6 oz. linguine
1/2 oz. garlic
1 tsp. basil
1 pinch salt
1 pinch pepper
3 oz. white wine
4 oz. pomodoro sauce
1/ 2 tsp, crushed red pepper
1 1/2 oz. olive oil
1 sprig basil
1/ 2 oz. pecorino romano
1 thyme sprig

In a hot sauté pan add olive oil and lobster tail. Sauté. Add garlic, crushed red pepper and de-glaze with white wine. Add basil and pomodoro sauce, season with salt and pepper. Cook fettuccine in pasta cooker. Remove and drain well. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Nest fettuccini in 12" pasta bowl. Arrange lobster tail on pasta. Pour sauce over lobster and pasta. Garnish with fresh basil. Romano cheese on the side.

Elfo’s Special
This well-known dish is named for Frank Grisanti’s father, Elfo, who created it on the spot one Friday many moons ago, when a customer requested pasta without meat. Published widely in cookbooks, Elfo’s Special is a Mid-South classic.

Kosher salt
1/2 lb. spaghetti pasta
4 T unsalted butter
2 tsp. chopped garlic
5 medium mushrooms, sliced
12 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed (cooked)
pinch of salt
pinch of white pepper
1 T fresh chopped parsley for garnish

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook about 8 or 9 minutes, until pasta is tender, and drain. In a sauté skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add garlic, mushrooms, shrimp, and seasonings and sauté for about a minute and a half. Transfer pasta to the skillet and toss the dish a few times to combine ingredients. Divide pasta into two serving bowls and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.