Penne alla Vodka with Pancetta (Italian-American)

italianamerican-penneallavodka Penne alla Vodka is a super easy pasta recipe that'll leave you licking your plate clean. It's made with penne pasta tossed in a creamy tomato vodka sauce with garlic and pancetta. If a big bowl of comfort food is what you're looking for then this is it. Penne alla vodka is a recipe that was very popular in Italy back in the ’80s. Apparently it was the ‘must-have’ dish and everyone raved about it… for a while. The trend eventually died out, think of it like shrimp or prawn cocktail, ok it’s extremely retro but you can’t help but love it because well, it’s dee-licious. Vodka is not a traditional ingredient in Italian pasta sauces and cream is rarely used especially in tomato based sauces. I mean, I’d be surprised if you ever find this dish on any restaurant menu in Italy. The thing is, however retro or untraditional penne alla vodka may be, it’s still damn delicious and I know many Italians that would have no problem devouring the dish.

½ Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup smoked pancetta, cubed (100 g)
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
4 cups (14 oz) penne rigate pasta (400 g)
1½ cup tomato passata (400 g)
⅓ cup heavy cream (80 mL)
⅓ cup vodka (80 mL)
½ cup reserved pasta water (120 mL)
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Garnish:
freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted boiling water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to packet instruction until al dente.

Meanwhile, add the olive oil to a large pan and add the pancetta, fry for a couple of minutes until starting to brown (2-3 minutes)

Next, add the garlic and shallot and sauté until the shallot becomes translucent and garlic is fragrant.

Stir the puréed tomatoes into the skillet and add ½ cup of reserved pasta water. Let it simmer for 1 minute then reduce the heat to low.

Add the cream and stir until thoroughly combined with the tomato. Once combined, add the vodka with a pinch of salt and pepper.

Let the sauce simmer for 3-4 minutes or until you can no longer smell the vodka and the sauce has darkened slightly. If the sauce reduces too much then add another splash of pasta water.

Once the pasta is cooked al dente, add it to the sauce and toss to coat. Serve with Parmesan.

Makes 4 people.

Cook's Notes:

No pancetta? you can use smoked bacon roughly chopped instead.
If you can't get a good brand of tomatoes then you might need to add a pinch of sugar to balance out the acidity, add it to taste.
It's important to turn the heat to low before adding the cream or it might split. Don't worry if it does, the sauce will look a little grainy but will still taste delicious.
If you don't have penne pasta, no problem, use any pasta shape you like.
I don't add any herbs to this recipe but if you want to add some then fresh basil or parsley would work well.
Make sure to reserve pasta water, this helps emulsify the sauce but also adds a lot of flavour.
You can make this sauce in advance keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze it in suitable containers.
Leftover pasta will keep for 1-2 days and can be eaten cold for lunch or made into a pasta salad.