George Rector, a food writer and former restaurant owner helped popularize fettuccine Alfredo. He remained relatively true to the original recipe.

George Rector was heir to a restaurant empire. His father operated restaurants in Chicago and New York, and he started down the same path. He had a falling out with his father after marrying a chorus girl.

The real crisis in the Rector empire came with Prohibition. The ban of alcohol made the Rector business model impossible to sustain without the profits from alcohol. Luckily for George Rector, he had already fostered a career in food writing.

Rector had a column in the Saturday Evening Post where he wrote about food. After a trip to Rome and a visit to the Alfredo di Lelio’s restaurant, Rector wrote about the amazing pasta dish he had eaten while there. He introduced his readers to the dish, remaining relatively faithful to di Lelio’s recipe.

In addition to the column in the Saturday Evening Post, Rector published cookbooks further disseminating the recipe. The dish’s simplicity would eventually be adulterated by American innovations, but in the pre-war years the recipe was butter and cheese just like the original.

Adapted from the Rector Cook Book, 1928, by George Rector.

Serve with noodles and alongside seared beef.

Ingredients

3 egg-sized butter lumps
Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Cook pasta.
Place in cold water.
Separate noodles.
Place in hot water.
Drain after noodles are warmed.
Place noodles on warm serving platter.
Add ‘Parmesan’ cheese to coat.
Add butter.
Toss until blended.

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Tags: Fettuccine Alfredo