Also known as vodka alla penne (or 'penne al pomedoro e vodka' in Italy), this pasta dish that originated in the 1970's uses vodka to balance the richness of a tomato cream sauce and to bring out and enhance the flavour of crushed red chilli.
Wow! This was very good. I sauteed the garlic along with the onion then added the crushed red pepper flakes. After adding the crushed tomatoes I added 1 Tbsp. of basil, 1/4 tsp. of oregano, 1 tsp. of parsley, 1/2 tsp. of salt and 2 tsp. of sugar. I also used a good vodka and half and half instead of light cream and parmesan instead of romano (didn't have any on hand). I used 1/2 pound of penne pasta and served this with garlic breadsticks. The sauce was even better the next day! - 17 Aug 2009 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)
This was absolutely wonderful. We had invited some friends over and I was looking for vegetarian recipes. It was a hit with everyone! I had calculated for 12 people and was afraid there wouldn't be enough when I saw the amount of sauce. I did use only one 1/2 boxes of Penne Pasta but had more than enough for everyone. - 26 Dec 2008 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)
If you are reading this review you should know there is no reason to try any other recipe. THIS IS THE BEST and so easy! Some other recipes are overly complicated. This is simple and delicious. Thank you LJ! This is amazing! - 06 Jul 2009 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)