The best news is that vodka sauce, while being a bit time consuming, is pretty easy to make! There are a lot of different versions, but this is one that works for me-I hope you, dear reader, will try it too-it's almost always a hit when I serve it, and I hope it will be for you too.
For this recipe, you need a saute pan that can go in the oven, and a blender.
Ingredients
1 pound of penne cooked in salted water.
1/3 cup of olive oil
2 medium yellow onions
5 cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons of dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
1 1/4 cups of vodka
2 28 oz cans of whole peeled tomatoes, juice drained
1/4 cup cream (optional)
1/4 cup Pasta cooking water
Parmesan cheese (optional)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Peel the onions and slice them in half, then roughly slice them. There is no need to dice them, since you will blend the sauce later-enjoy the low maintenance use of the onion here.
3. Heat the olive oil in the pan and saute the onion over a medium heat-cook gently and fairly slowly here, for about 5 minutes or so.
4. Turn the heat to mediu high and add the (again, roughly chopped) garlic, oregano and red pepper-the heat from the oil helps the flavors in the oregano bloom, and makes the red pepper boom.
5. Add the vodka, which will sizzle! Cook for two minutes or until it reduces a bit.
6. Mash the tomatoes by hand as you add them to the pan. Stir the sauce and then toss into the oven.
7. Cook the sauce in the oven for an hour. When you remove the sauce, blend it in the blender in a few batches.
8. Add the cream and some of the starchy water. The amounts are flexible-I want you to have the consistancy of sauce that you like-if it seems thick, then add some more water or cream.
9. Toss with cooked al dente penne noodles and garnish with parmesan cheese.
I've served the dish here in a very American way, all on one platter-sausage on the left, lightly sauteed broccoli rabe on the right.
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