really nice dish to makes for when the girlies come over for the evening

[Guest guest]

Penne Alla Vodka

This is a great creamy pasta delight!

Salt

One 35-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes with their liquid

1 pound penne

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

10 cloves garlic, peeled

Crushed hot red pepper

1/4 cup vodka

1/2 cup heavy vegan cream (you can order it from veganstore.com or

make your own by blending silken tofu and soy milk)

2 tablespoons soy marg or olive oil for finishing the sauce, if you

like

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

3/4 cup soy parm, plus more for passing if you like

Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in an 8-quart pot over

high heat.

 

Pour the tomatoes and their liquid into the work bowl of a food

processor. Using quick on/off pulses, process the tomatoes just

until they are finely chopped. (Longer processing will aerate the

tomatoes, turning them pink.)

 

Stir the penne into the boiling water. Bring the water back to a

boil, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta, semi-covered, stirring

occasionally, until done, 8 to 10 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Whack the garlic cloves with the side of a knife and add them to the

hot oil. Cook, shaking the skillet, until the garlic is lightly

browned, about 3 minutes. Lower the work bowl with the tomatoes

close to the skillet and carefully — they will splatter — slide the

tomatoes into the pan. Bring to a boil, season lightly with salt and

generously with crushed red pepper, and boil 2 minutes. Pour in the

vodka, lower the heat so the sauce is at a lively simmer, and simmer

until the pasta is ready.

 

Just before the pasta is done, fish the garlic cloves out of the

sauce and pour in the cream. Add the 2 tablespoons butter or oil, if

using, and swirl the skillet to incorporate into the sauce. If the

skillet is large enough to accommodate the sauce and pasta, fish the

pasta out of the boiling water with a large wire skimmer and drop it

directly into the sauce in the skillet. If not, drain the pasta,

return it to the pot, and pour in the sauce. Bring the sauce and

pasta to a boil, stirring to coat the pasta with sauce. Check the

seasoning, adding salt and red pepper if necessary. Sprinkle the

parsley over the pasta and boil until the sauce is reduced enough to

cling to the pasta.

 

Remove the pot from the heat, sprinkle 3/4 cup of the soy parm over

the pasta, and toss to mix. Serve immediately, passing additional

parm if you like.