Penne Alla Vodka

Usually on Sundays we have pizza, but since Damien and I had spent the day drinking beers and eating cheese and hummus while watching Juanes' Peace without Borders Havana show, we didn't feel hungry enough to place our usual order. We had a bit of risotto left from Friday night, but not enough for the two of us. So Damien suggested he'd be in the mood for Penne alla Vodka if it were simple enough to make.

I did a little investigating on the internet and figured out it is actually pretty easy. Here is what I did:

Penne alla Vodka
1/2 pound penne pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, pressed
1/2 cup vodka
14 ounces crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
Parmesan cheese

Boil water for pasta. Pour in the pasta and cook to desired tenderness.

In the meantime, heat up olive oil over medium high heat until hot but not smoking in a large saute pan. Saute onion and garlic until onions are translucent and garlic is browned - bits should begin sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add vodka, scrapping pieces of onion and garlic off the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 1 minute to reduce and cook off alcohol. Add the tomatoes, stirring constantly. Stir in the cream. Add red pepper, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 or 3 minutes.

When pasta is finished. Drain and return to pot. Pour sauce onto pasta and stir to coat. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

I think next time I'd like to add a little bit of pancetta before I add in the vodka. And you can adjust the amount of cream depending on your taste. Same goes for the red pepper.

It was the perfect end to a fun day. The concert was fun to watch and we enjoyed sharing the time with our friends Casey, Arian and their son, Luca who stopped by for a little while.