Penne in a Creamy Tomato Sauce - Penne Vodka

I had this sauce at a restuarant and fell in love with it. The waitress said the chef taught her how to make the sauce, and revealed some of the ingredients to me. To my surprise, vodka was included. How interesting! When I got home and flipped through my pasta book, there it was, "pasta tubes in a creamy tomato-VODKA sauce". I followed the recipe and was able to recreate the dish!! I'd like to share this recipe with you and hope you'll like it.

This is a hearty dish but takes some time to prepare.

Penne in a Creamy Tomato-Vodka Sauce

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
9 ounces pancetta, sliced into tiny cubes
2 shallots, minced
1 cup vodka
1.5 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup salsa pomodoro (this is a tomato sauce). See below for ingredients.
5 teaspoons sea salt
1 pound dried penne
1/3 cup freshly grated parmigiano
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

Sala di Pomodoro (Tomato sauce):
28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes with juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 medium onion, diced
2 garlic gloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces (I've replaced with 2 teaspoons of dried basil)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano (I've replaced with 1.5 teaspoons of dried oregano)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

First prepare the tomato sauce...here's how:

• Pour the tomatoes with their juice into a large bowl and break the tomatoes into smaller pieces with your hands. Set aside.
• Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over med-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and pepper. Cook until the onion is tender, 3-5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil, oregano, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and puree over a bowl. Makes approx. 2 cups.

Making the creamy tomato-vodka sauce:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan over med-high heat. Add the pancetta and cook until crispy, about 5 minutes.
• Drain the excess fat from the pan. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat over med-high heat. Add the shallots and cook until soft, about 3 minutes.
• Add the vodka. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half, about 6-7 minutes.
• Add the cream and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
• Add the tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and keep warm while the pasta is cooking.

Cooking the penne:

Bring 5 quarts of water and add 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil in a large stockpot over high heat. Add the penne and cook for approx. 10 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain. Add to the pan with the tomato-vodka sauce and toss to coat evenly. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with parmigiano and parsley.

Ingredients

Peeled tomatoes with juice in a bowl

Cooking onion in a pan

Simmering tomato sauce

Puree tomato sauce over a bowl

Adding heavy whipping cream into reduced vodka

Tomato sauce added to cream