Penne with Vodka

By -


Yum yum - ignore that I didn't use penne!
I cut the recipe in half for the two of us and it worked just fine.


From: The Weeknight Cook, By Brigit Binns Published 2012

  • Unsalted butter, 4 tablespoons (2 oz/60 g) (can be salted of course)
  • Heavy (double) cream, 1 cup (8 fl oz/250 ml)
  • Tomato paste, ¼ cup (2 oz/60 g)
  • Vodka, ⅓ cup (3 fl oz/80 ml) plus 2 tablespoons
  • Fresh basil, 2 tablespoons slivered
  • Red pepper flakes, pinch
  • Salt
  • Penne or other tubular pasta, 1 lb (500 g)
  • Parmesan cheese, ½ cup (2 oz/60 g) freshly grated

 

  • Make the sauce

    Bring a large pot of water to a boil. In a large frying pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter with the cream. In a small bowl, stir the tomato paste with the vodka until smooth. Stir into the cream mixture. Add the basil, red pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook until the alcohol evaporates slightly and the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.

  • Cook the pasta

    Meanwhile, add 2 tablespoons salt and the pasta to the boiling water. Cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until al dente, according to the package directions. Drain, reserving about ½ cup (4 fl oz/125 ml) of the cooking water. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and warm over low heat to blend the flavors. Add the cheese and toss to combine. Add as much of the cooking water as needed to achieve a nice sauce consistency and serve.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pizza Dough

By -
2 (1/4-ounce) packages active dry yeast 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided, plus additional for dusting 2 cups warm water (105–115°F), divided 2 teaspoons salt MAKE DOUGH: Whisk together yeast, 2 Tbsp flour, and 1/2 cup warm water in a measuring cup and let stand until mixture develops a creamy foam, about 10 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, discard and start over with new yeast.) Stir together salt and 3 cups flour in a large bowl. Add yeast mixture and remaining 1 1/2 cups warm water and stir until smooth, then stir in 1 cup more flour. If dough sticks to your fingers, stir in just enough flour (up to 3/4 cup), a little at a time, to make dough just come away from side of bowl. (This dough may be wetter than other pizza doughs you have made.) Knead dough on a lightly floured surface with floured hands, lightly reflouring work surface and your hands when dough becomes too sticky, until dough is smooth, soft, and elastic, about 10 minutes. Divide dough i...
Read more

"Light" Caesar Salad

By -
I'm not sure where the "light" comes from. But this was a really good classic Caesar dressing. We even had to resort to (haha) using powdered parmesan from the store and it was still classically good. 1/4   cup   (60 mL)  grated  Parmesan cheese 1/4   cup   (60 mL)  light mayonnaise 2   tbsp   (30 mL)  white wine vinegar 1   tbsp   (15 mL)  extra virgin olive oil 1   tbsp   (15 mL)  water 1   tbsp   (15 mL)  Dijon mustard 1   tsp   (5 mL)  Worcestershire sauce 1   clove garlic , minced 1   pinch   salt 1   pinch   pepper 8   cups   (2 L)  romaine lettuce , torn, 1 small head 1   cup   (250 mL)  prepared croutons 2   tbsp   (30 mL)  cooked  bacon , crumbled In jar, shake together Parmesan cheese, mayonnaise, vinegar, oil, water, mustard, Worcestershire sauce...
Read more