Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Notes: This recipe requires a good quality vodka. The cheap stuff does not do. Take it from me. :-). And You can use any other pasta if you have no penne. Buono appetito.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup (50 g) grated Parmigiano (buy a chunk and grate it fresh)
3 tablespoons tomato paste, diluted with 1/4 cup hot water
1 hot pepper
1/4 cup or so (maybe a third of a cup) good vodka -- you want something that has a taste to it
1 teaspoon brandy
2/3 cup fresh cream
1 pound rigatoni
Preparation:
Bring pasta water to a boil, lightly salt it, add the pasta, and give it a good stir.
In the mean time, melt the butter in a large pot and stir in the tomato paste and the hot pepper. Let the mixture simmer over a low flame for a couple of minutes, then stir in the cream, and when the sauce comes back to a boil, the vodka and brandy. Fish out and discard the pepper, stir in the grated cheese, and continue stirring gently until the sauce is well amalgamated and creamy.
By now the pasta should be about done -- you want it still somewhat al dente. Drain it, transfer the pasta into the sauce (this is why you need a large pot), and cook over a brisk flame, stirring energetically, for about a minute to help the pasta absorb the sauce.
Serve at once, with a light red wine.
Yield: 4 servings penne or pasta alla vodka.
contributed by Standoh A.K Gulavi