Penne in a Vodka Cream Sauce

We have this little tradition in my family where on your birthday you get to pick any meal and any dessert you want and it's made for you. No questions asked. No matter the trouble it may be. My mom or I are the ones that get the honor. Usually it's a joint conquest. And really, it's probably one of my favorite things to do. I love cooking for people and what better gift than to stuff someone full of the very foods they love.

Yesterday was my sister-in-laws birthday. Her and my brother also just celebrated their 1st anniversary. So, lots to celebrate. Her birthday choice was Penne in a Vodka Sauce. Simple enough, right? Except I've never actually made vodka cream sauce. I'm not totally sure why. Maybe it's because I don't thoroughly enjoy tomato sauces, and not too many people have asked me to make a tomato sauce for them. No worries though, I'm always up for new food adventures. And this one really is rather simple. Plus, I knew just the right person to call.

So, I have this friend Sol, who works on Block Island. A little island off the coast of RI. It's quite magnificent. Magnificent enough for you to plan your next vacation there. He works in this little restaurant called Narragansett Inn. A New England seafood restaurant with an italian feel, as he describes it. I'm not quite sure how you can mix those two so eloquently, but apparently it's possible as this little place is just as magnificent as the island itself. He, of course, was the right person to call.

Our conversation went a little something like this. Me: "Hey, do you have a recipe for vodka sauce?" Sol: "Yeah, it's the simplest thing. Just heat up some oil, throw in some onions and garlic until, you know, they start to brown. Toss in some vodka to deglaze, catch on fire, that whole thing. Add homemade tomato sauce and cream, salt/pepper." Me: "uhhuh. mmmhmm." Sol: "Later. Oh, let me know how it goes." Me: "Wait! I want to roast the tomatoes." Sol: "Don't roast the tomatoes. The whole point of vodka sauce is the simplicity." Me: "But, I really want to roast the tomatoes. I like roasted tomatoes." Sol: Crystal, do NOT roast the tomatoes! Bye."

All I have to say is thank goodness I'm not exactly food illiterate. I mean how is one supposed to know how much of anything I'm supposed to add? And homemade tomato sauce, that seems like a process! Oh and needless to say he calls back 8 hours later with "I forgot to tell you to use shallots and some parm!" No kidding Sol, no kidding.

Anyway, this is what I did:

I made my own tomato sauce by infusing oil with garlic. I love infusing things. It just adds an extra depth of flavor. To do this I sliced up 10 cloves of garlic and added enough extra virgin olive oil to cover the garlic entirely. I let this simmer on med/low for 45 mins. I also added some red pepper flakes, but forgot to take a picture.

I then added a can of plum tomatoes, salt and pepper. It took all I had to not use fresh roasted tomatoes. I squeezed the tomatoes with my hands to break them up a bit before putting them in the pot. The tomatoes I had already had basil in them or else I would have added fresh basil too. I let this simmer together on the stove for roughly an hour, while I went and did some other things. It will seem like the oil and tomatoes separate, but with time and some whisking they come together perfectly.

I then started making the vodka cream sauce. I sauteed the onions in butter until brown (I really recommend not using nonstick skillets for things like this, because you just don't get that brown color and flavor stuck to the bottom of the pan. Unfortunately, this was all I had on hand.) I added the garlic. Garlic tends to get bitter, so I generally add it a few mins before the onions are finished. Add the vodka. It cooks off instantly, but deglazes the brown bits of onion off the bottom of the skillet perfectly. Then I added the tomato sauce and let that all simmer for roughly 20 mins.  At the very end I added cream till the sauce turns an orangish/pink color. I let that warm through.

I cooked the penne till al dente in salted water and then added it to the sauce. I let it simmer for 15 mins, and added some grated parmesan cheese to finish it off.

Chiffonade (stack the leaves, roll and cut) some basil and garnish. Looks pretty good if I do say so myself. And it didn't taste half bad either ;)

Tomato Sauce

10 cloves sliced garlic

~1 c extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

28 oz can peeled plum tomatoes

salt/pepper

Penne in a Vodka Cream Sauce

1 diced onion

2 cloves diced garlic

2 tbsp butter

tomato sauce (above)

1/4 c vodka

1/4 c heavy cream

penne rigata, cooked 

salt/pepper

parmesan cheese

fresh basil