James DicksonPenna alla Vodka

Penne alla Vodka

By: James Dickson (Adapted from my father’s adaptation of the original from Lidia’s Italian American Kitchen.)

I came across this dish while traveling through the Italian countryside on foot. Night had fallen, and I was without sustenance. A little house with a light on appeared in the distance. I shuffled toward it, and, upon knocking on the door, was greeted by an old Italian woman. She did not speak English, but it did not matter. She was making this fantastic looking pasta dish with a pink, creamy sauce. She offered me some and I accepted. Both my palette and my mind expanded. With some difficulty, I managed to get her to show me how she made it. When I returned to America, I showed the recipe to all of the major Italian restaurants in the Chicagoland area. It has since become a staple.

Just kidding. I discovered it in Naperville, Illinois. What a bummer. However, I will say that this is my personal favorite recipe of all time. My father makes it for my birthday every year. That’s how much I love it. The sauce is simple and effective. The actual first time I had the dish was when I was a child, returning home from a long day playing out in the snow. It warmed my soul. I hope it warms yours.

Ingredients:

Salt 1 28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes (preferably San Marzano) 1 15 oz can of tomato sauce with Italian herbs (preferably Contadina) 2 lbs. penne ¼ C olive oil 10 garlic gloves peeled Crushed red pepper 10 leaves basil ¾ C vodka

Penne alla Vodka (continued)

1 ½ C heavy cream 8 T unsalted butter Grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Bring salted water to boil (according to package directions). 2. Squeeze the tomatoes until there are barely any chunks left.

You can use a potato masher for this or a food mill or your hands. If you don’t want seeds (I leave them in), put them through a strainer to extract if you don’t have a food mill. 3. Heat olive oil in pot over medium heat. 4. Hit each whole garlic clove with edge of knife and add to the hot oil (whole). 5. Cook the garlic cloves until lightly browned (not dark), about 2 minutes. 6. Lower the tomatoes into the oil carefully not to splatter. 7. Add the tomato sauce and basil leaves. 8. Bring to boil, season with 1 tsp salt and ¼ to ½ tsp red pepper (depending on how much you like red pepper). 9. Boil for just two minutes. 10. Pour in the vodka and lower the heat to a simmer. Allow the vodka sauce to simmer for about 5 minutes before adding the pasta to the boiling water. 11. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. 12. About 5 minutes before the pasta is done, add the butter gradually and allow it to melt before adding the next chunk. 13. Right before the pasta is done, add the heavy cream and then bring back to a slight simmer. 14. Drain the pasta. Fish out the garlic cloves from the sauce. Add the pasta to the sauce. 15. When the pasta is in the sauce, allow bubbles to appear before serving (you may have to raise the heat). Then turn off heat. 16. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.