Penne alla Vodka with Pancetta
A tomato-cream sauce built on rendered pancetta and a splash of vodka, which cooks off but leaves the sauce silkier than tomato and cream alone.
- Serves
- 4
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Written
Method
-
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the penne until just shy of al dente, then reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain.
-
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the pancetta, stirring occasionally, until crisp and browned, about 6 minutes.
-
Add the shallot and cook until softened, about 3 minutes, then stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
-
Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until it darkens a shade and coats the bottom of the pan, about 2 minutes.
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Pour in the vodka, scraping up the browned bits, and simmer until it’s reduced by half and you can no longer smell raw alcohol, about 3 minutes.
-
Add the crushed tomatoes and red pepper flakes and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes.
-
Stir in the cream and Parmesan until the sauce turns pale orange and glossy.
-
Add the drained penne to the skillet and toss, loosening with splashes of pasta water until the sauce clings to the noodles.
-
Season with salt and pepper and scatter with basil before serving.
Notes
The vodka isn’t a flavor so much as a tool — it dissolves flavor compounds in the tomato paste that water and fat can’t reach on their own, which is why the sauce tastes rounder than a plain tomato-cream base. Let it actually simmer down; a sauce that still smells boozy hasn’t finished the job.
Swap the pancetta for guanciale if you have it, or leave it out and start the sauce in olive oil for a vegetarian version — the tomato paste and cream still carry it.