<Alan> wrote:

> This morning I made a nice dish with:
>
> Medium egg noodles
> two pats of butter
> shredded Swiss Cheese
> coarsely ground black pepper
[snip]

Alfredo all'Americano.

> Is this similar to any established dish? If so, I'd like
> your help with recipes that I could try that are vaguely
> along these lines.
>
> Probably there is a Famous Dish which I'm just not aware of!

Fettuccine al triplo burro maestose (all'Alfredo).

Ideally, make your own fettuccine. Failing that, buy fresh ones from a
good Italian grocery. Failing that, use dried ones. Replace the bland
"Swiss" cheese with grated Parmigiano Reggiano (or with a good Grana
Padano, preferably labelled "di testa"). There should be at least half
as much cheese as cooked pasta, by weight. Use the best butter you can
find, lots of it. There should be about 1/5 more butter than cheese, by
weight. Cook the fettuccine in salted water "al dente", drain, add
first the cheese, then the butter, toss well.

Q&A:
Is it a Famous Dish(TM)?
Most assuredly.

Is it a good dish?
Yes.

Is it a great dish?
No.

Victor