Penne alla Vodka

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Directions

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• Step 1
  In a large saucepan or small Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Season lightly with salt and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are very soft but not browned, about 15 minutes. Lower the heat if needed to prevent browning.
  • 3 tbsp butter, melted (45 g)
  • 1 onion, diced (150 g)
  • 3 garlics, minced (7 g)
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes (1 g)
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt (1.50 g)
• Step 2
  Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the tomato paste is fragrant and thick, about 3 minutes. Stir in the canned tomatoes with their liquid. Bring to a simmer, then cook, stirring often and crushing the whole tomatoes roughly with a spoon until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.
  • 3 tbsp tomato paste (45 g)
  • 400 g canned tomatoes, whole peeled (400 g)
• Step 3
  Add the heavy cream and stir to incorporate. Transfer the sauce to a blender and blend until very smooth. Wipe out the pot, then return the blended sauce to it. Season lightly with salt.
  • 1 cup heavy cream (240 g)
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt (1.50 g)
• Step 4
  In a medium pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until just shy of al dente. About 1 minute before you transfer the pasta to the sauce, add the vodka to the tomato sauce and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
  • 1 lb rigatoni (450 g)
  • 1/4 cup vodka (60 g)
• Step 5
  Using a spider skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer the pasta directly to the sauce pot along with pasta water. Increase the heat to high and cook, stirring constantly, until the pasta is well coated in sauce and reaches the al dente stage, about 3 minutes. If the sauce thickens too much before the pasta is ready, add more pasta water in increments as needed.
  • 1 lb rigatoni (450 g)
• Step 6
  Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan until thoroughly incorporated into a smooth and creamy sauce. Taste for salt and season with more if needed. Spoon the pasta and sauce onto warmed serving plates and top with additional grated cheese. Serve immediately.
  • 1 cup parmesan, freshly shredded (55 g)

Per serving