Penne a la Vodka

Last Friday Peter and I finally ate at Carmine's on Penn. He had been going on and on about this restaurant for so long that my expectations were very high. I did not leave disappointed! They serve family style portions so we definitely ate too much but it was so worth it. My favorite dish we ordered was the ravioli a la vodka. This reminded me of all those dinners with Susan at Grotto in Houston so I decided to try my own vodka sauce.

I did a little variation on this back in December so I only had to make a few adjustments for the vodka sauce. It turned out really well and Peter's only complaint was that it was a little runny. So, I made a few changes to the original recipe which will hopefully keep it from being too runny.

Maybe for my next pasta entry I will try to recreate the delicious ravioli di mare from Grotto...

Penne a la Vodka
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes, drained, half the liquid reserved
1 pound penne pasta
1/2 large yellow onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3 cup vodka
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons chopped basil
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

Boil the pasta according to the cooking directions, set aside.

Puree half the tomatoes until smooth. Dice remaining tomatoes and combine with the reserved liquid. Heat oil over medium heat. Add tomato paste and onion. Saute for about two minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute for one minute. Stir in the tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Remove from heat, add vodka, return to heat and simmer for ten minutes. Slowly add the cream and basil, stirring continuously.

Combine with the pasta, top with fresh parmesan if desired and serve!