Penne alla Vecchia Bettola

I don't know if it is because I just had the hardest Pilates class of my life, because I'm starvles for dinner and replacing food right now* with red wine while watching The Bachelor, or the fact that I am ver ver tired, but I know one thing - no matter how I am feeling, Ina Garten's Vodka Penne from her book Foolproof will cure me.  *This is not normal or typical - I do not ever replace food with wine. I do not suggest this. 

I've had a busy couple of weeks recently and all I wanted to do yesterday was go to the de Young museum to check out the Frank Stella Retrospective, cook, and starfish at home while binge watching the Swedish (also original and better) version of The Bridge. The Bridge is like one of those shows where I feel like I'm part of a big awesome secret that no one else knows because it is so good. Consider yourself in the loop. Anyways, I ended up sprawling like, 6 cookbooks and 2 cooking magazines on my bed yesterday afternoon to try to convince myself that I could find a recipe before I caved and ordered Thai.

Good news is, I did! I give you Penna Alla Vecchia Bettola, which is really just a fancy way of saying penne pasta with a vodka cream sauce. I added a grilled chicken on top to give myself some protein, but the original recipe comes vegetarian. I will say, if I were to make this recipe again I would cut the fresh oregano in half. It was a little too intense as a garnish and I think I would have enjoyed the strong flavors better with less - but, to each their own.

The thing that I like about this recipe is that it is a little more complex than it first appears - the flavors develop and intensify as the sauce bakes in the oven, which is something I have never done with a sauce before. The original recipe comes from a restaurant in Florence, but something about the heat and the intense tomato flavor of this specific recipe makes it stand out from other Vodka cream sauces for me. Let me know what you think.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup good olive oil
2 1/2 cups chopped onion (about 1 large onion)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 cup vodka
2 (28 ounce) cans whole peeled plum tomatoes, drained
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3/4 pound penne (I used a box)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof sauté pan (I used a large pot) over medium heat. Add the onions and the garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent

3. Add the red pepper flakes and dried oregano and cook for 1 more minute. Add the vodka and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, until the mixture is reduced to about half

4. Using clean hands, crush each tomato into the pan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid, place in the oven, and bake for 1 1/2 hours

5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of salt and the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package. Drain and set aside

6. Two cups at a time, carefully pour the tomato mixture into a blender and purée until smooth. Return the tomato mixture to the sauté pan (be careful, the handle will be HOT. This was forgotten twice).

7. Add the fresh oregano, cream, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and simmer partially covered for 10 minutes

8. Add the pasta to the sauce and cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese and serve hot sprinted with extra Parmesan and fresh oregano