Sunday Dinner: Penne a la Vodka

This Sunday night Anne and I made simple and tasty Penne a la Vodka. We made it just for the two of us as we'd all already eaten free BBQ earlier in the day, but this would be the perfect recipe to serve up to a big group of friends. We think there was just a little something-something missing from the final product- the sauce needed some extra spice. It was still totally delicious, but not as exciting as it could be. Ideas?

You will need:

1 lb penne pasta

6 cloves of garlic

28 oz crushed tomatoes

1 cup heavy or light cream

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vodka

Sprinkle of crushed red pepper

Grated Parmesan cheese

Parsley

[Adapted from http://aprondays.blogspot.com/2011/09/whole-wheat-penne-with-vodka-tomato.html]

Combine the oil, salt, pepper and garlic in a pan. Before garlic starts to brown, add tomatoes and some chopped parsley and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down and let it simmer. Meanwhile, boil water for pasta and cook penne. Once the pasta is cooked, combine it with the red sauce. Still on the heat add the vodka, then the cream. Keep stirring (and tasting) for a while. Add peas (optional) at the very end. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and a sprig or two of parsley. Eat way too much.

Serves 3-4, or more as a side dish.

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Can't resist a little taste before adding the vodka and cream:

 We highly recommend adding a large amount of peas to your pasta (we added a whole bag, and it was the best).

  Heart shaped ice cubes make water an extremely exciting beverage: