penne with vodka sauce

I came across this recipe while flipping through The Joy of Cooking a couple months ago. I really enjoy cooking with wine and I hadn’t ever cooked with vodka, so I was intrigued by this dish. The end result is a slightly orange, velvety, rich sauce with a hint of vodka and basil. I more or less stayed true to The Joy of Cooking’s original recipe, but I added five fresh tomatoes and a pound of ground meat.

Tip: If you’re going to make a meatless version, I suggest you reduce the vodka and cream to 1/3 cup and leave out the fresh tomatoes unless you want a lot of sauce.

Penne with Vodka Sauce and Meat
(adapted from The Joy of Cooking)
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1 pound penne
1 onion, finely chopped
1 pound ground meat
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
5 tomatoes, chopped
1 28 oz can tomatoes, with their juices
1/2 c vodka
1/4 t red pepper flakes
1/2 c heavy cream
12 leaves basil, chopped
salt & pepper, to taste
freshly grated parmesan

- In a large sauce pan, boil pasta in salted water according to package directions. Rinse, drain, and set aside.

- Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium sized saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add onions and meat. Cook until the meat is no longer pink and drain most of the fat.

- Return the saucepan to the stove. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, vodka, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes.

- Give the sauce a taste. If the alcohol is too strong, cook a few minutes more. Stir in heavy cream, chopped basil, and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Toss sauce with pasta and serve with freshly grated parmesan.

Serves 6

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