Penne Alla Vodka Recipe

It's the summer and that calls for one thing, PASTA! And trust me, you are going to love some penne vodka. 

Ingredients: 

Dough ingredients: 

1. ½ box of Penne Pasta 
2. 3-4 tbsp of olive oil 
3. 2 tbsp of salted butter 
4. 1 large shallot 
5. ⅓ lb prosciutto sliced into small pieces 
6. 6 pieces of basil (stem included) 
7. ½ tbs red chili peppers (optional) 
8. 4 garlic cloves 
9. 4 tbs of vodka 
10. 1 28oz can of San Marzano Peeled tomatoes 
11. ½ cup of freshly shredded parmesan cheese 
12. 1 cup of heavy cream 
13. 1.5 tsp sugar 
14. Salt and pepper to taste 
15. Parsley for garnish 

Method: 

Directions

1. Finely dice up shallot and slice garlic as thin as possible. 
2. Open the tomatoes and crush them in a bowl with a utensil or your hands 
3. To a hot pan on medium heat, add in olive oil and 1 tbsp of butter
4. Add in your shallots and a pinch of salt and cook down for about 3 minutes 
5. Add in your prosciutto and cook down right as it starts getting crispy and some brown color start developing 
6. Add in your basil and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute
7. Add in your garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes until the garlic is starting to get golden brown. You are not looking for a fully brown garlic here, just a light toasting and color 
8. Add in your vodka and cook down until the alcohol is cooked out and the ingredient in the pan soak up alot of the liquid 
9. Add in your tomatoes and turn the flame to a low where you have a simmer going. Simmer for about 20-25 minutes until there is only a little liquid left and your split the sauce and the tomatoes do not go back together. 
10. Add in your heavy cream and mix until incorporated
11. Add in your sugar and parmesan cheese and taste for salt. Re-season if needed. 
12. To a separate pan on low heat, add in 1 tbsp of butter, a few ladles of the vodka sauce, some cooked pasta and pasta water. Go 1 ladle at a time. Cook on low heat until the sauce tightens up and is cream. 
13. This is a great time to taste and re-season. Add some parmesan if needed, plate on a bowl, top with more parmesan and parsley. 
14. Enjoy and eat up!