Vodka...not just for drinking.

We were out with friends the other night and went to an Italian buffet. The amount of choices were staggering, they even had tripe and fried calamari as part of their offerings.
One of the biggest draws was their pasta bar; they had five types of pasta, five different sauces and more than a dozen ingredients for you to choose from to mix in. They had prosciutto; pine nuts, artichokes and sun dried tomatoes just to name a few. Once you decide on your ingredients they make your pasta to order right in front of you, it was really very nice. I had linguini “Ala Oglio” which is olive oil, lots of garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and just a couple anchovy filets all topped with freshly grated cheese and parsley. One of our friends had “Penne Ala Vodka” which I tasted and have to say it was absolutely delicious. Vodka, tomatoes and cream are definitely a winning combination.


Penne Ala Vodka

1 lb. Penne pasta
1/2 stick butter
3 cloves garlic, chopped
6 to 7 scallions, chopped
2 cans tomato sauce (15 oz. total)
1/3 cup vodka
1/4 cup heavy cream
Basil, oregano and pepper to taste

Sauté chopped garlic and scallions over low flame with butter. Add tomato sauce, vodka and spices. Let come to boil and simmer 45 minutes. Add heavy cream; cook 10 minutes. Put water up for pasta.