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Per serving
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- 1
Put the pasta on
Bring a big pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil and cook the penne according to the package directions, until just al dente. Salt the water like you mean it — this is the only chance the pasta itself gets to be seasoned. Before you drain, save a mugful of that starchy water in case the sauce needs loosening at the end.
- 2
Build the sauce
While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and let it cook and stir for about a minute, just until it smells like Sunday. Lay in the prosciutto, cut into strips, and cook another 2 minutes so it renders and gives up its salt to the fat.
- 3
Simmer with the vodka
Drain and roughly chop the canned plum tomatoes, then stir them in along with the vodka, salt, and red pepper flakes. Bring it up to a boil, then drop the heat and let it simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Don't skip the vodka — it isn't for show. It pulls the fat and the acid together so the sauce turns silky instead of splitting.
- 4
Finish with cream
Stir in the heavy cream and let it cook another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce goes a soft rosy pink and coats the back of a spoon.
- 5
Toss and serve
Drain the penne and add it straight to the skillet with the Parmesan. Toss until every tube is coated, loosening with a splash of the reserved pasta water if it needs it. Serve right away, with more Parmesan at the table.
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Penne alla Vodka with Prosciutto
Created by: PastaAndProsciutto
Ingredients
- 16 oz penne pasta
- 3 tbsp butter
- 2 garlic cloves
- 4 oz prosciutto
- 28 oz whole plum tomatoes
- 1/4 cup vodka
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Put the pasta onBring a big pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil and cook the penne according to the package directions, until just al dente. Salt the water like you mean it — this is the only chance the pasta itself gets to be seasoned. Before you drain, save a mugful of that starchy water in case the sauce needs loosening at the end.
- Build the sauceWhile the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and let it cook and stir for about a minute, just until it smells like Sunday. Lay in the prosciutto, cut into strips, and cook another 2 minutes so it renders and gives up its salt to the fat.
- Simmer with the vodkaDrain and roughly chop the canned plum tomatoes, then stir them in along with the vodka, salt, and red pepper flakes. Bring it up to a boil, then drop the heat and let it simmer uncovered for 5 minutes. Don't skip the vodka — it isn't for show. It pulls the fat and the acid together so the sauce turns silky instead of splitting.
- Finish with creamStir in the heavy cream and let it cook another 2 to 3 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce goes a soft rosy pink and coats the back of a spoon.
- Toss and serveDrain the penne and add it straight to the skillet with the Parmesan. Toss until every tube is coated, loosening with a splash of the reserved pasta water if it needs it. Serve right away, with more Parmesan at the table.