Penne alla Vodka
One of Chef Luca's favorite comfort foods! Tender penne pasta coated in a silky tomato-vodka cream sauce is just the right mix of tangy, rich, and indulgent.
Yield: All recipes serve 2 people
Chef Notes: Make a double or triple batch of sauce. Save leftovers and freeze to make a quick meal even quicker in the future.
Components
Vodka Sauce
Penne
Fresh Parsley/Basil
Parmesan
Mise
Make the Vodka Sauce:
Dice the yellow onion, mince the shallots and garlic. In a large saucepan, sauté the onion▸ until softenened and lightly charred.
Add the shallots and garlic until softened and aromatic.
Add 1/4 t of chile flake and 1/2 C tomato paste. Continue to sauté until the paste becomes aromatic and begins sticking to the bottom of the pan, 5 minutes.
Add the whole tomatoes and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
Season with salt, add the cream and transfer to a blender to puree until smooth.
Return the blended sauce to the pan, add the vodka and bring to a simmer then turning off the heat.
Cook the Penne Pasta▸ in salted boiling water until al-dente.
Finish
Using the pasta water method▸ , combine the penne, 1/4 C of pasta water and the vodka sauce in a large saucepan.
Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring to thicken the sauce so it coats the noodles.
Garnish with fresh herbs and grated parmesan cheese.