Penne Alla Vodka

Ready to build some flavor? Let’s go! Start by gently cooking the shallot and garlic in butter, stirring often with a wooden spoon (better for scraping the pan later on), until softened and translucent but not browned. Use a large skillet or an enameled Dutch oven for this; I would avoid uncoated cast-iron, as it may react with the sauce, introducing off-flavors.

In go the tomato paste and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until the paste coats the alliums and is starting to darken.

Now stir in the vodka, scraping up any browned bits, and remove the pot from the heat; we’ll get back to it in a minute!

Time to boil some pasta. Use a large pot and be sure to salt the water generously. When the pasta is al dente (meaning it’s still just a wee bit firm at the core), scoop out 2 cups of the pasta water and then drain the pasta.

Okay, back to the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat and stir in 1/4 c. pasta water and the cream.

Sprinkle half of the Parmesan over and stir until melted and combined. Now turn off the heat and stir in the drained pasta and remaining Parmesan. If the pasta is looking a little dry, stir in more pasta water, a tablespoon at a time. Taste and season with salt if needed.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add shallot and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.

Add tomato paste and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until paste has coated shallots and garlic and is beginning to darken, about 5 minutes.

Add vodka and stir to incorporate, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta, stirring occasionally, until al dente according to package instructions. Drain, reserving 2 c. pasta water.

Return sauce to medium heat and add cream and 1/4 c. pasta water, stirring to combine. Add half of Parmesan and stir until melted. Remove from heat and stir in cooked pasta. Fold in remaining Parmesan, adding more pasta water (about 1 Tbsp. at a time) if the sauce is looking dry; season with salt, if needed.

Divide pasta among bowls. Top with Parmesan and basil.