PENNE ALLA VODKA - AN AUTHENTIC VODKA SAUCE RECIPE

This authentic vodka sauce recipe is one of my all-time favorite pasta dishes and one of my most frequently asked for. People just love it, especially in the winter when the warmth and spiciness of this dish balance out the weather outside. Jam-packed full of carbs and comfort this dish definitely gives you the energy your body needs to stay warm all year round. All that aside though, it is a classic Italian vodka sauce recipe you can easily tweak to your desired spice level! First time cooking with vodka? Don’t worry, all alcohol in the vodka does evaporate during the cooking process while the vodka helps detach all the juicy pork flavor from the bottom of the skillet to ensure the most flavorful sauce you can possibly get! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

SERVES 4-5
10 Min Prep, 50 min Cooking Time

1 Pack of Penne Pasta (Usually feeds 4-5)
1-1.5 650ml Bottles of Tomato Sauce (basic Pomodoro or tomato & basil)
1 TBSP of Butter (Salted
1 Cup of Vodka
200-300grams Of Pancetta or Black Forest Ham (chopped finely - almost minced)
1 TSP of Chili Flakes (optional)
1 Medium box of 35% Whipping cream
Parmesan Cheese (1 Cup Shaved and 1 Cup for garnish)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Baguette (optional)

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DIRECTIONS:

Melt the butter down in a deep skillet on medium heat. Once the butter is melted and hot add in the chunks of pancetta or minced ham, tossing it in the butter and allowing it to cook until it becomes crispy.

Once the pancetta or ham is crispy add in your cup of vodka. It will create some more heat and steam but don't worry all the alcohol will burn out. This helps all the flavor from the ham that stuck to the bottom of the skillet to be transferred back into the flavors of the sauce later. Scrape the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon to help them along. Let this cook down until there is only a little bit of moisture left. Take your time.

Next, add in the tomato sauce (whether homemade or bought from the store you want the most basic Pomodoro kind). This will add in a lot of liquid to your sauce so make sure you boil this down as well so that a lot of the water evaporates and you are left with a nice thick sauce. About 20-30 minutes.

If you want your sauce to be a little bit spicy add in your chili peppers now and let them cook into your sauce. Sprinkle and stir. You can also add in some Salt and Pepper now to your taste.

Next, add in your cream. First, about a 1/2 cup stirring the whole time than a 1/4 cup until you get the perfect red/orange color. You can taste it as you go to see if you want more cream. To help thicken the sauce up shave about a cup of parmesan down and add it into the sauce, stir it in. Let the water cook out of this while you start cooking the penne pasta in a pot. Some people also like to use a hand blender and blend the sauce at this point so that the small bits of pancetta/ham become undetectable and the sauce is extra smooth in texture.

Boil water for the pasta adding about 1-1.5 TBSP of salt to the water once it boils. Add in pasta and let it cook till it is al dente.

Now you should be ready to serve the sauce with the pasta. You can either mix it together or spoon some sauce on top of a plate of pasta. Garnish with more parmesan cheese and a slice of baguette.

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I hope you enjoy this authentic penne alla vodka sauce recipe as much as I do! Please let me know your thoughts and comments below I’d love to hear from you! Happy cooking :)

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SPAGHETTI AGLIO E OLIO - A SIMPLE ITALIAN CLASSIC

Leave it to the Italians to create an incredibly flavourful pasta dish using only a few inexpensive ingredients! This absolute classic is one of my all-time favs and takes less than 10 minutes to whip up. In my household, we like to serve it alongside meat dishes like my mom’s coveted rack of lamb recipe or occasionally by itself with a few added shrimp on top! If you are looking for a quick, student-friendly pasta dish to whip up or something to add to a protein as a side, you can’t go wrong with a simple yet flavorful dish like this one!

* Please Note - Some links in this post may be affiliate links *

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 4 People

2 TBSP of Olive Oil
4 Cloves of Garlic - Minced
1 Pack of Spaghetti - cooked al dente
Italian Parsley - Roughly Chopped
Parmesan Cheese - Grated
Salt and Pepper

You can also add chilli flakes to make it a little spicy or a few shrimp!

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CHECK OUT THESE OTHER DELICIOUS ITALIAN RECIPES

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DIRECTIONS:

Bring water to a boil on the stove, salt, and cook your pasta.

When pasta is almost ready, heat up your olive oil on medium heat in a large skillet. When hot, add in your garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes. If you like a little spice, feel free to add in some chili peppers too.

Once garlic is fragrant, add in your cooked pasta, sprinkle on some grated parmesan, and some roughly chopped parsley.

Salt and pepper to taste and serve with more parmesan on the side.

Enjoy!

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I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Happy cooking!!!

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EASY KETO CAULIFLOWER GNOCCHI RECIPE

Since getting back on the Keto diet (click here to read about my Keto diet experience) I have been experimenting with new recipes to help me stay on track. One recipe that I developed using a combination of recipes I found online and experimenting with a few times, was Keto cauliflower gnocchi recipe that you can make using an air fryer or some oil in a pan if you don’t have an air fryer. Turned out that my entire family approved and actually preferred it over the regular Gnocchi I whipped up for the taste test. PLUS, it’s super easy to make! A double win! If you are looking for a healthy pasta alternative - you got to try this cauliflower gnocchi recipe!

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

- Serves 4 people

1 Head of Cauliflower
1 CUP of Almond Flour
1/2 CUP of Arrowroot Flour
1 TSP of Garlic
1 TSP of Salt
1 CUP of Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 TBSP of Olive Oil if you are pan frying it

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LOOKING FOR KETO RECIPES? CHECK THESE OUT TOO!

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DIRECTIONS:

Cut the cauliflower florets off the stem in small chunks and steam until tender.

Once tender, remove the cauliflower from pot and place in a food processor. Pulse until the consistency of the cauliflower is like mash potatoes before piling it in the middle of a clean dishcloth and wringing out as much excess water as possible. Even when you think you’re done, you’re probably not so give it another wring!

Place the cauliflower in a bowl and add in the garlic, almond flour, arrowroot flour, salt, and parmesan cheese. Mix until thoroughly incorporated till it forms a soft dough. Cut dough into quarters.

On a lightly floured surface, roll each quarter of the dough out using your hands to form a long rope about 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter. Cut the dough into 1/2 inch pieces and picking up each one, smooth the edges into small oblong balls resembling gnocchi. Once done, place on a lightly floured baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Now it is time to cook the cauliflower gnocchi. I recently used an air fryer and loved the results. If you have one you can cook them at 400 for 6 -7 minutes or fry in a tbsp of olive oil on the stove in a pan until golden brown.

When ready, serve with sauce of choice.

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If you like this air fryer cauliflower gnocchi recipe or have any comments/questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below!

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FOREVER DREAMING OF ITALY: CACIO E PEPE, A SIMPLE ITALIAN CLASSIC

We may not be able to travel during this global pandemic but that doesn’t stop me from dreaming about Italy!

A couple of years ago Adam and I ate our way through Tuscany and spent some time in Rome (click here to read my food guide to Rome) and during our time there we took a fantastic authentic Italian cooking/pasta making course. It was during that course that I first had Cacio E Pepe and feel in love with the bite of the pepper against the salty cheese. Not only did we love our time in Italy but this classic, simple dish always reminds me of our great adventures there.

Buon Appetito!

INGREDIENTS:

- Serves 2 people

120 Grams of Pasta of Your Choice
Salt
3 TBSP of Unsalted Butter
1/2 TSP of Freshly Ground Pepper
3/4 Cups of Finely Grated Parmesan
1/2 Cup of Finely Grated Pecorino

DIRECTIONS:

Boil water, add salt followed by your pasta of choice. Cook slightly before al dente.

Before draining the pasta, set aside about 1/2 a cup to 1 cup of pasta water.

Warm up butter in a skillet and add in the freshly ground pepper. Toast the pepper for 1-minute stirring continuously.

Add in 1/2 a cup of pasta water followed by the pasta - coat the pasta so it cooks a little further. The sauce should be wet so once you fold in the parmesan and allow it to cover the pasta fully if the pasta water is absorbed fully, add more before lowering the heat and adding pecorino.

Stir, serve and enjoy!

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LINGUINI MARINARA WITH CLAMS

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I recently made this dish for a family dinner and I had to share! It was so delicious and quick to make - its honestly the perfect seafood dish to add to a meal. The sauce is light yet flavorful so you can still taste those delicate clams. I went for a thicker linguini noodle so as to get more sauce with each bite. If you are into Italian food you gotta try this recipe! It will be having your guest asking to take home leftovers...that's if there is any!

Makes Pasta for 5 People

INGREDIENTS:

3 TBSP of Olive Oil
2 -3 Shallots (minced)
2 Garlic Cloves (minced)
1 TSP of Dried Basil
1 TSP of Dried Oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste
2 Cans of San Marzano Tomatos (Drained and Chopped)*
3/4 Cup of White Wine
50 Clams (I used Little Neck Clams and washed them to remove any sand or dirt on the shell)
750 grams of Linguini (usually 150 grams per person is good)
A handful of fresh Italian Parsley (for garnish)

*Keep the juice just in case you want to add it in later for an even lighter sauce

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil on medium in a nice big sauce pan. Add in your shallots, turn your heat down to low/medium and let those shallots sweat a little.

Once your shallots are starting to become translucent add in your garlic followed by the dried basil, oregano and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Once garlic has released its flavor into the mixture add in your strained and chopped tomatoes. Mix well and let the water in the pan evaporate a little before adding in the wine.

In a separate pot bring water to boil, add salt followed by your linguini.

Once you add in the wine let that sit for a while to reduce before adding in the clams. As the clams open up they release the flavor of sea water so the dish may need to thicken up a little bit but you also need to cover the dish so to properly steam the clams to open.

Once clams are fully open, add your cooked linguine, garnish with fresh Italian parsley and you are ready to serve!

ENJOY!!!

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I hope you enjoyed this recipe as much as I do. If you have any comments please leave them below and I'll be happy to answer them as soon as I can! Bon Appetite!!!

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