Penne A La Vodka

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GB

Chief Eating Officer
Joined
Jul 14, 2004
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Location
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PENNE ALA VODKA

One 35-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes (preferably San Marzano) with their liquid
1 pound penne
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
10 cloves garlic, peeled
Crushed hot red pepper
1/4 cup vodka
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil for finishing the sauce, if you like
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for passing if you like

Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in an 8-quart pot over high heat.

Pour the tomatoes and their liquid into the work bowl of a food processor. Using quick on/off pulses, process the tomatoes just until they are finely chopped. (Longer processing will aerate the tomatoes, turning them pink.)

Stir the penne into the boiling water. Bring the water back to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta, semi-covered, stirring occasionally, until done, 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Whack the garlic cloves with the side of a knife and add them to the hot oil. Cook, shaking the skillet, until the garlic is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Lower the work bowl with the tomatoes close to the skillet and carefully - they will splatter - slide the tomatoes into the pan. Bring to a boil, season lightly with salt and generously with crushed red pepper, and boil 2 minutes. Pour in the vodka, lower the heat so the sauce is at a lively simmer, and simmer until the pasta is ready.

Just before the pasta is done, fish the garlic cloves out of the sauce and pour in the cream. Add the 2 tablespoons butter or oil, if using, and swirl the skillet to incorporate into the sauce. If the skillet is large enough to accommodate the sauce and pasta, fish the pasta out of the boiling water with a large wire skimmer and drop it directly into the sauce in the skillet. If not, drain the pasta, return it to the pot, and pour in the sauce. Bring the sauce and pasta to a boil, stirring to coat the pasta with sauce. Check the seasoning, adding salt and red pepper if necessary. Sprinkle the parsley over the pasta and boil until the sauce is reduced enough to cling to the pasta.

Remove the pot from the heat, sprinkle 3/4 cup of the cheese over the pasta, and toss to mix. Serve immediately, passing additional cheese if you like.


Makes 6 servings.
 
I have tried this, and at leat I liked it.

The only comment I would make is that it is most likely GRAPPAinstead of vodka that was used in the original concoction.

I am going to give it a go with grappa next time.
 
Thanks for posting this, GB! Penne ala Vodka is one of my favorites. I have a couple recipes for it but will have to give yours a try!
 
I find that this one even tastes better the next day. So much so that next time I make it I will do so a day in advance.
 
Vodka is used because it's tasteless. The alcohol in it releases flavor components in the tomatoes.

Grappa is anything but tasteless. It'll probably create something interesting, though.
 
I wouldn't use milk and butter. Milk and butter can't really be combined to make something like cream. The butter would be difficult to completely emulsify and you would have a greasy sauce.

Just use the highest dairy fat product you can find. Light cream or half and half or whole milk.
 
3/4c whole milk
1/3c butter or margarine, melted and cooled
This does not sound like a good sub to me at all, sorry pacanis. This would really change the taste and texture of the dish and not in a good way I do not think.
 
Yes, I can get whipping cream, sour cream, plain yougurt and the whole milk, but not heavy cream, well unless I take a drive to NY, but that is really not an option.
 
What can be used in place of heavy cream? Unfortunately I can't find any.

You could try cream cheese. Break it in small pieces, add a little at a time to the hot sauce & keep stirring until it melts.
 
This does not sound like a good sub to me at all, sorry pacanis. This would really change the taste and texture of the dish and not in a good way I do not think.

No problem. I got it off the internet, like a lot of my info. I needed a substitute for cream before and that's what I used. I googled "heavy cream substitute" and picked something close to the top of the page :)
I didn't notice a greasy separation because I was cooking it in.
 
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