Penne rigate alla Vodka – Penne in Vodka sauce

I had an aunt that made, hands down,  the best vodka sauce. Ever.

She was one of those cooks that made everything from scratch and put her whole heart into everything she made.

I was the first of all my cousins to move out of my parent’s house to go off to school, and she worried about me.

At family parties she always greeted me by putting both of her hands on my face, looking me straight in the eyes and asking  Mangi abbastanza? (Are you eating enough?).  She always made sure there was a package of leftovers wrapped in tin foil for me to take back to my tiny, one room flat on Queen St East.

I have a strong suspicion that she made up that care package before the party started so what I was taking away wasn’t actually leftovers but prime portions safely tucked away before the party got started.

 I think  of her at very specific times, specifically when I make this.

Hey Zia, mangio, anche troppo!

Ingredients

30 ml olive oil

200 gr sausage crumbled and without the casing

100 ml tomato paste

100 ml whipping cream

60 ml vodka

fresh, chopped flat leaf parsley

salt

pepper

320 gr penne rigate

Heat the oil in a small saucepan and add the crumbled sausage.  Stir continuously to keep the sausage meat from forming large chunks.  Add the tomato paste, the parsley, salt and pepper and cook for about 10 minutes over medium low heat.

Add the whipping cream and the vodka at the same time and let the sauce cook for another 10 to 15 minutes over low heat. 

Adding the vodka and cream at the same time is unusual since alcohol is usually added at the beginning of a cooking process so that it has time to evaporate.  In this case we add the vodka with the cream to prevent the cream from thickening too much.

In the meantime cook the penne rigate in abundant salted, boiling water.  When the pasta is al dente, drain and then dress with the sauce.

Serves four. 80 gr pasta per person.