A la Vodka!

Swimster had a surprise for me last weekend. He scrambled to finish up his studies so he could take the day off Tuesday and spend it with me in New Canaan. This came as happy news, though there was one slight problem. I had promised my Tuesday night to the other man in my life, Dad. Dad called me hoping to take me out to dinner in the city Tuesday night. When it rains, it sprinkles. Boyfriend or Dad, Dad or boyfriend? Instead of choosing, I picked both.

Swimster and I took the train home to CT and promised my Dad a fabulous dinner. Most of it would be leftovers (my parents welcomed my Aunts and Uncles to our house a couple nights before) but I figured it would still be special to have dinner set and ready to go when Dad got home from a busy day at the office. Poor Mom is in California for the week;) Dad joins her in Carmel today as they’re going to a friend’s daughter’s wedding tomorrow.

I could not believe the amount of food that was lying around in our 2 fridges/freezers (one upstairs and one in the basement). My Dad went a little Arthur Avenue crazy and I couldn’t count the olive, artichoke, pepper, mozzarella, salami, prosciutto, more salami, and veal parmesan containers stuffed into our refrigerators. Guess we didn’t have to go out for lunch.

In deciding what to do with our day we turned to the Food Network and found the petite Giada De Laurentiis hosting one of her “Everyday Italian” shows. When we saw the Light Pasta Classics episode begin, we were hooked. We knew we were going to be reheating some yummy veal parmesan and what better to accompany it than with a new sauce recipe. Good thing we decided to go with this because regular store-bought sauce would not have done these sleek fresh noodles justice. With the help of Giada and her “simple tomato sauce” recipe that serves as the base for the vodka sauce, I am no longer a homemade tomato sauce virgin. And I know vodka sauce is traditionally served with penne, but mixing and matching sauces and pastas is part of the fun of Italian cooking!

Recipe Part One:

Simple Tomato Sauce:
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
1 carrot chopped
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
4 to 6 basil leaves
2 dried bay leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrot and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning. If sauce tastes too acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to round out the flavor.

Pour half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.

Recipe Part Two:

1 quart Simple Tomato Sauce (see above) or your sauce of choice
1 cup vodka
1/2 cup heavy cream at room temperature
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 pound penne (or pasta of choice)

Simmer the tomato sauce and vodka in a heavy large skillet over low heat until the mixture reduces by 1/4, stirring often, about 20 minutes. Stir the cream into the tomato and vodka sauce. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and well blended. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and transfer it to the pan with the sauce, and toss to coat.

**This sauce was a hit. When I first tasted it the vodka seemed a bit on the strong side. Swimster added some garlic sault and a bit more parmesan and the problem went away. Of course, not a problem when you're at a bar drinking, but a problem when serving with pasta.**