Penne Alla Vodka and I’m a Terrible Competitor

So here’s the deal. I learned today you could vote for all the cakes in a day. That means instead of $1 a day going to fight ovarian cancer, we can each make $5 per day go to this much needed cause. So instead of just asking you to vote for our team, “Fall for Me”, I’m hoping that you'll vote for all five teams.

I’ll probably be kicked out of the competitors club for this one. But this is cancer, these are my food blogging buddies, and I love all our cakes. So will you vote for all of us? Please? Only 2 ½ days left. Let's kick ovarian cancer in the butt!

Also, Buddy the Cake Boss is giving an internet live cake demo today at 4p.m Pacific Time. If you want to learn some rad new skills go RSVP. Again, money goes to the same worthy cause. I’ll be there of course.

This pasta is a staple in our house and my husband asks for it all the time. I finally grabbed a picture so I could pass it on to you. It's also great with some grilled chicken or shrimp. Play around with it and see what works for you.

Cook’s Illustrated Penne Alla Vodka
“If possible, use premium vodka; inexpensive brands will taste harsh in this sauce. Pepper vodka imparts a pleasant flavor and can be substituted for plain."

1 pound penne pasta
1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and liquid reserved
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup minced onion
1 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt
1/3 cup vodka
½ cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons minced fresh basil
Grated Pecorino Romano cheese, for serving

1. Start heating heavily salted water for pasta. Puree half of the tomatoes in a food processor until smooth. Chop the remaining tomatoes into ½ inch pieces, discarding the cores. Combined the pureed and diced tomatoes in a 2 cup liquid measuring cup. Add reserved liquid to make 2 cups.

2. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is light golden around the edges, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Stir in the tomatoes and ½ teaspoon salt. Remove pan from heat and add the vodka. Return the pan to medium high heat and simmer, stirring frequently for 10 minutes to cook off the vodka. (Lower heat to medium if simmering is too vigorous.) Stir in the cream and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until hot.

4. Right after you add the vodka cook the pasta according to package directions. Set aside ¼ cup of salted pasta water at the end of cooking time. (I save about a cup, often needing more than called for.) Drain the pasta, return it to the pot, add the sauce and cook over medium heat for 1 ½ minutes to make the sauce stick to the pasta a bit. Then turn off heat, add the pasta water, basil, a little salt and pepper and Pecorino Romano cheese as desired and serve.

Recipe from "The Best of America's Test Kitchen, Best Recipes and Reviews 2008". Picture by Laura Flowers.