Penne alla Vodka is one of my favourite dishes and it’s so easy to make. One of my favourite things about this dish is that it can be made pretty much anywhere with ingredients you can find anywhere, making it the perfect thing to cook at a moment’s notice, on a Sunday when many shops are closed but the locals are still open or when you’re travelling and staying in an AirBnb or camping. It’s a great recipe that always tastes good and is there for you whenever you need it.
Even if you’re not a fan of vodka, don’t turn away from this gorgeous recipe. The vodka amount is minimal and all of the alcohol is cooked off. Furthermore, the vodka isn’t really there for anything other than enhancing the flavour and keeping the sauce from splitting as it cooks. The flavours are deepened from the addition of the vodka without it adding any flavour of its own. It’s a clever little sauce.
If you don’t have any fresh flat-leaf parsley available, you can absolutely leave this ingredient out or substitute the same amount of dried parsley and it will work. The parsley does add a nice freshness to it as well as a pop of green flecks, but it’s not the star and you can do without it. Let’s get started!
Ingredients
- 50g unsalted butter
- 115g sliced honey ham, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 150ml double cream
- 50ml vodka
- 350g penne pasta
- Salt & pepper
Method
- Put a large pot of salted water with a drop of oil on to boil and cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Before straining the pasta, reserve about a cup full of the starchy pasta water and set it aside.
- Meanwhile you can start making the sauce. Melt the butter in a large frying pan or casserole over medium heat. When it starts to foam up a bit, add the ham, tomato paste and parsley. Season with salt & pepper and cook, stirring occasionally for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Pour in the vodka and let it sizzle. Cook while stirring until it evaporates and then pour in the double cream. Stir until well combined. Reduce the heat to low and leave it to simmer until the pasta is ready. It will thicken slightly, but just make sure to stir it occasionally.
- When the pasta is cooked and strained, pour it into the sauce. Add a little bit of pasta water at a time to help the sauce amalgamate and stick to the pasta until it’s all well coated. Serve hot.
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