Weeknight Dinner: Penne alla Vodka
Penne alla vodka is one of those dishes that has several origin stories that no one can prove. One can find accounts that place the provenance of this dish everywhere from a ristorante in Bologna to an advertising campaign for vodka. (If the last is true, the story parallels the mythology of the Black Russian, which some claim is the product of an ad campaign for Kahlua). Popularly, there are accounts that penne alla vodka was invented at the legendary New York City restaurant Orsini's, where it was christened penne alla Russia in honor of christening a simple cream and tomato sauce with a welcome shot of good vodka.
Wherever it came from, penne alla vodka is so simple to prepare that it is the perfect meal to end a busy day, and such a pleasure to eat that it salvages the evening. Like many boozed-up dishes, the trick is that, you shouldn't taste the vodka in the sauce. But if you omit it, you notice the difference. Some versions of penne alla vodka utilize the technique of stirring some pasta water into the sauce and some are garnished with fresh basil or fried pancetta; none of these is necessary for this version. But good vodka is: I use Absolut or Grey Goose, the standard vodkas in our home bar.
Here is my original recipe for this main dish, piquant with tomatoes and lush with cream, with a pleasant heat at the back of the throat and a gossamer gleam of vodka. As it is a rich but simple dish, respond accordingly: serve your penne alla vodka with a vibrant green salad, lots of grated Parmesean, and either a sexy red wine or -- buon appetito -- martinis.
Penne Alla Vodka
Wherever it came from, penne alla vodka is so simple to prepare that it is the perfect meal to end a busy day, and such a pleasure to eat that it salvages the evening. Like many boozed-up dishes, the trick is that, you shouldn't taste the vodka in the sauce. But if you omit it, you notice the difference. Some versions of penne alla vodka utilize the technique of stirring some pasta water into the sauce and some are garnished with fresh basil or fried pancetta; none of these is necessary for this version. But good vodka is: I use Absolut or Grey Goose, the standard vodkas in our home bar.
Here is my original recipe for this main dish, piquant with tomatoes and lush with cream, with a pleasant heat at the back of the throat and a gossamer gleam of vodka. As it is a rich but simple dish, respond accordingly: serve your penne alla vodka with a vibrant green salad, lots of grated Parmesean, and either a sexy red wine or -- buon appetito -- martinis.
Penne Alla Vodka
1 pound penne
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion
2 medium cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 28-ounce can diced or crushed tomatoes, preferably Italian import
1/3 cup grain vodka
1/3 cup heavy cream
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add penne and cook to al dente, approximately 12 minutes.
2. While the pasta is boiling, drizzle a three count of olive oil into a saute pan and heat on low.
3. Peel the onion and remove the root and stem ends. Halve the onion from root to stem; halve each half. Cut each quarter into crescents and then cut across the crescents to dice. Measure 3/4 cup diced onion and add to the saute pan.
4. Peel the garlic and remove the root end. Half each clove; remove and discard any sprouting from the center. Press the halves through a garlic press and add to the onion in the pan.
5. Cook until onions are soft and garlic has blonded, approximately three minutes.
6. Add the tomato paste and red pepper flakes to the onion-garlic mixture; stir to combine.
7. Add the tomatoes with their juice; bring to high heat.
8. Once the tomatoes are bubbling, add the vodka. Cook, stirring constantly, until the alcohol has evaporated and the sauce has a shiny finish, approximately one minute.
9. Turn off heat and cover pan.
10. Once pasta has cooked, drain.
11. Drizzle cream into warm sauce, stirring to combine.
12. Serve sauce over pasta.
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion
2 medium cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 28-ounce can diced or crushed tomatoes, preferably Italian import
1/3 cup grain vodka
1/3 cup heavy cream
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add penne and cook to al dente, approximately 12 minutes.
2. While the pasta is boiling, drizzle a three count of olive oil into a saute pan and heat on low.
3. Peel the onion and remove the root and stem ends. Halve the onion from root to stem; halve each half. Cut each quarter into crescents and then cut across the crescents to dice. Measure 3/4 cup diced onion and add to the saute pan.
4. Peel the garlic and remove the root end. Half each clove; remove and discard any sprouting from the center. Press the halves through a garlic press and add to the onion in the pan.
5. Cook until onions are soft and garlic has blonded, approximately three minutes.
6. Add the tomato paste and red pepper flakes to the onion-garlic mixture; stir to combine.
7. Add the tomatoes with their juice; bring to high heat.
8. Once the tomatoes are bubbling, add the vodka. Cook, stirring constantly, until the alcohol has evaporated and the sauce has a shiny finish, approximately one minute.
9. Turn off heat and cover pan.
10. Once pasta has cooked, drain.
11. Drizzle cream into warm sauce, stirring to combine.
12. Serve sauce over pasta.
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