TOMATO****Mario Batali's Penne alla Vodka

By Unblond1

23/10/13 - Good for both, Dan especially liked. I found it overly salty, between the pancetta and the salted pasta water, so be careful with that.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 ounces of pancetta, spicy or regular, diced or thinly sliced
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 pinch hot pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp. Tomato Paste
• 2 tbsp. Vodka
• 2 tbsp. Heavy Cream
• 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, OPTIONAL
• 3 1/2 oz. Catelli Smart Penne
• Parmigiano Reggiano, to serve

Details

Servings 2
Cooking time 30mins

Preparation

Step 1

* Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook penne according to the package instructions. Drain, reserving some pasta water for sauce.

* In a small non-stick pan, cook pancetta over medium heat to render out fat until cooked but not too crispy. Add the shallot and garlic and cook for a couple of minutes longer. Add tomato paste and pepper flakes and cook until it darkens.

* Stir in the vodka and cook for a minute to meld the flavors. Add cream and season with nutmeg, pepper and salt to taste. Adjust thickness of sauce with pasta water as needed. Add cooked penne and parsley and toss to coat.

* Serve with a generous sprinkling of Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Nutrition Facts - 2 Servings

Calories 414.3
Total Fat 17.4 g
Saturated Fat 7.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.7 g
Cholesterol 51.8 mg
Sodium 561.9 mg
Potassium 209.9 mg
Total Carbohydrate 42.1 g
Dietary Fiber 5.6 g
Sugars 4.2 g
Protein 16.0 g