HOME
Jerry's Recipes

Easy

Pasta with Tomato-Vodka Sauce

PappardelleThis is tomato sauce with a bit of zing. When you want a delicious and filling vegetarian dish, this recipe does it perfectly. In addition to a pasta pot and sauté pan, you'll need a blender, food processor or hand blender (stickblender) to puree the sauce. (Click HERE for a 'plain' tomato sauce). Hint: Use whole canned tomatoes, ideally plum tomatoes. Chop coarsely with a wooden spoon while cooking. Use good vodka.

Smoked salmon option: An Italian restaurant in Aruba [Ristorante Azzurro] serves a similar dish with chopped slices of smoked salmon. If you include salmon, add about 4 oz in Step 6 below.

Pasta. (1) Select long, smooth pasta such as fettuccine or linguine (you may want to break the pasta lengths into halves before cooking), or (2) use wide, curly 'nests' like tagliatelle or the still wider pappardelle (see photo above). Combine pasta with the tomato sauce a minute or so before the pasta is fully cooked (pasta will finish cooking when mixed with the sauce). Penne option: For Penne alla Vodka, use penne-shaped pasta.

Plan for 30-45 minutes. Serves 4 to 5.

SHOPPING LIST:
Jerry's Recipes
    • Pasta
    • Shallot or mild onion
    • Red chile pepper flakes
    • Garlic
    • Canned tomatoes
    • Vodka
    • Heavy cream
    • Fresh basil
    • Parmesan cheese
    • Optional: Pine nuts

Prepare pasta


 
    14 to 16 oz pasta
Cook ALMOST to al dente in at least 4 quarts boiling, salted water
(follow package directions)

Prepare sauce
1
In a non-stick pan large enough to combine the cooked pasta with the sauce, cook gently ("sweat") until shallots/onions are tender (4-5 minutes); stir occasionally
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 shallot or small onion, minced
  • about 1/4 teaspoon dried red chile flakes
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • salt and ground black pepper
2
Stir in and cook one minute until fragrant
  • 2-3 garlic cloves, minced or finely chopped

3
Add and simmer about 5 minutes—uncovered—or until sauce thickens slightly; break up tomatoes with wooden spoon
  • 28-oz can tomatoes, with juice (reserve 1/4 cup juice)
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
4
Ignore this step if using penne-shaped pasta:  Put most of the sauce into blender or food processor and coarsely puree (leave some in the sauté pan 'unpureed'); then return the puree to the pan OR, if you have a hand blender (stickblender), do it the easy way: puree the sauce in the sauté pan itself.
5
Add and continue simmering—uncovered 8-10 minutes;
stir occasionally
  • 3-4 ounces vodka
    (remove pan from heat while adding vodka)

6
Stir in, reduce heat to low; cook only until sauce is reheated
  • about 1/2 cup (4 oz) heavy cream
  • 8-10 fresh basil leaves, torn or finely chopped
  • salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • Option: reserved tomato juice

7
  • Drain cooked pasta, then combine with the sauce either in the sauté pan or in warmed serving bowl
  • Stir gently to coat the pasta with the sauce
  • If the pasta seems dry, stir in a small amount of the pasta cooking water

To serve:

  
 
  • Top individual servings with chopped flat-leaf parsley or chopped fresh basil
  • Pass around grated Parmesan cheese; sprinkle with toasted pine nuts
  • Optional: Serve with bread and butter (or bread with extra-virgin olive oil for dipping)

rainbow

© 2002-2012  All rights reserved.
www.cybershingle.com/recipes/