You have read correctly: penne alla vodka or what is the same, translated into English, vodka macaroni. It is not a recipe that I have invented, but it belongs to the genre of foods that seem Italian but were actually created in the United States such as Fettuccine Alfredo or Sandwich Stromboli. No Italian would have thought of adding vodka to the pasta, of course, even if the creator of this recipe was a chef descended from Italian emigrants.
The truth is that the recipe has become very popular in its country of origin.
INGREDIENTS (4/5 people) :
- 500 grams (1.1 lbs) penne rigate
- 1 Kg of tomato (2.2 lbs) canned crushed
- 100 ml of cream (Half a cup) to cook
- 50 ml (a quarter cup) of vodka
- 3 garlic cloves
- Hot red chilli (to taste) or bell peppers, for its non-hot version
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- grated parmesan cheese
- Salt
- extra virgin olive oil
First, we boil the penne rigatte in plenty of salted water (you know the rule, 5 cups of water per every 100 grams / 3.5 oz of pasta) until al dente.
While the pasta is boiling, add a generous splash of olive oil to a deep frying pan and fry the three peeled cloves of garlic over medium heat until golden brown.
When this happens, we remove them, incorporating the crushed tomato and the chopped spicy chilli (if we don't want them spicy, ball peppers cut into small pieces). The amount of chilli will depend on how spicy we want them. Let do until the water reduces. At that time we add the vodka and rectify salt. Then sprinkle the chopped parsley.
After a couple of minutes, add the pasta. Stir well to impregnate and then add the cooking cream. We will prevent the sauce from "boiling" since the cream could be cut.
It is placed on a plate after a couple of minutes, sprinkling the cheese on top. By the way, this goes for the penne alla vodka and any pasta dish served to you in Italy or the United States (as long as they run the establishments, authentic Italians or descendants thereof): the sprinkled cheese is put by the cook and according to the recipe. You can ask for more, but they find it odd. And if they haven't included it, it's because it doesn't need it.
Is there a taste of vodka in this dish or is it a silly ingredient? No, it's not nonsense. When cooking, the alcohol evaporates but the vodka flavor remains. Another thing is that you like it, but the spicy and the vodka are noticeable.