Description

Make this comforting pasta dish for a weeknight and weekend dinner. It's quick, but oh so good!

Ingredients

• 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil
• 4 plump fresh garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes (more or less depending on taste)
• 28 oz. can Italian plum tomatoes (whole peeled) in juice
• 1 lb Italian penne pasta, dried
• 2-4 T vodka
• 1/4-1/2 c heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 c + flat leaf parsley, chopped
• Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Steps

1. In an unheated saute pan large enough to hold the pasta, combine the oil, garlic, crushed red pepper and a generous pinch of salt. Stir to coat with the oil. Cook over medium heat until garlic turns golden but not brown, 2-3 minutes.
2. Coarsely crush the tomatoes in a bowl with its juices. Be sure to use whole tomatoes and not diced to be sure that the tomatoes are plum or roma and not a mixture of different tomatoes which vary in water content. Add to the oil- garlic mixture; stir to blend. Simmer, uncovered, until sauce begins to thicken, about 15 minutes. Taste for seasoning; adjust as needed.
3. Meanwhile, bring 5-6 quarts of water to a rolling boil in a large pot. Add 3 T. sea salt and the pasta; stir. Cook until tender but firm to the bite, about 2-3 minutes less than package instructions. Pasta will cook more in the sauce, so do not overcook. Drain thoroughly.