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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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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LINGUINE ALLE VONGOLE - PASTA WITH CLAMS

Linguine alle Vongole (clams in Italian) or Spaghetti alle Vongole is a classic dish and one of the first dishes that I ever learned. This pasta alle vongole recipe was originally one of my friend’s moms and she used to make this for us when it was a little colder outside because of the broth base. This is a great and easy (not to mention inexpensive) seafood pasta recipe if you are a new cook. Remember to go easy on the salt as vegetable cubes have a lot of salt in them already and you are salting the water to boil your pasta which will be absorbed by your linguine.

Enjoy

INGREDIENTS:

Serves 2-3 People

4 TBSP of Olive Oil
4 TBSP of Fresh Parsley (chopped) *Save a little as a garnish
2 Large Garlic Cloves (minced)
1 Chopped Shallot (chopped finely)
½ TSP of Pepper
1 CUP of White Wine
1 Vegetable Cube - no need to use them to create a broth beforehand because we use the cubes to flavor the sauce
2 (10oz) Cans of Clams with Juice or 10 Clams Per Person
1 LBS of Cooked Linguine
Grated Parmesan as garnish (optional)
1 French Baguette (Optional)

*Feel free to cook and place a couple of fresh clams still in shells on top for extra esthetic.

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CHECK OUT THESE OTHER PASTA DISHES

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DIRECTIONS:

If using fresh clams, soak clams in lukewarm to cold water for 25 minutes before you start so they can open up and release the sand inside. Scrub shells lightly and set aside.

Next, fill a pasta pot with water and place on the stove to boil

Using a sauté pan heat your olive oil and sauté your shallots, garlic and parsley for 4-5 minutes until the shallots become translucent.

Next add the juice from the cans of clams (exempt if using fresh clams), wine and vegetable cube. Once the vegetable cube melts salt and pepper to taste.

Once the water is boiling, salt the water and add in your linguine. Make sure to save some pasta water before you drain it.

Allow to simmer for 10 minutes to reduce liquid before adding the clams from can and continuing to cook for an additional 5 minutes. If using fresh clams, add clam shells into sauce pan making sure none of them overlap (they wont open as well otherwise), cover and allow to simmer for 10 minutes (or until the majority of the shells are open) so that the clam water can release from shells and mix with the sauce. Once ready, taste the broth and make sure it is seasoned to you liking otheriwse add more salt and pepper.

Drain pasta and toss it in clams and sauce while adding about 1-2 TBSP of pasta water to thicken it. Garnish with parsley and serve.

I love adding and recommend trying this dish with Parmesan but you can do whatever you like.

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I hope you enjoyed this spaghetti alla vongole 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 Appetito!!!

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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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PESTO SHRIMP WITH GLUTEN FREE PASTA

I love me some pasta and this is one of my easiest recipes. If you are hungry or dealing with some 'hangry' company/kids this is the fastest and easiest meal to get on the table. The longest part of this recipe is waiting for the water to boil, after that it's done in 10 minutes. I'm not celiac but I like using gluten free pasta whenever I can. In this case I used qunioa pasta (my fav gluten free kind of noodle) because it is easier to digest plus its a complex carb (1 part protein to 2 part carbs) making your noodles that much healthier for you. I also find that taste and texture wise it's the closest to regular aldente wheat pasta from a box. Enjoy! 

Serves 2 Adults

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 TBSP of Olive Oil
2 TBSP of Butter
1 Clove of Garlic (minced)
1 Shallot (Finely chopped)
15-20 Shrimp (de-vained and shell removed)
Pre-made Pesto*
Quinoa Pasta
Salt to taste
Parmesan Cheese (garnish)

*make sure it's gluten free

DIRECTIONS:

Bring a pot of water to a boil add 1-2 TSP of salt and your quinoa pasta. You have to stir quinoa pasta for the first two minutes so that it doesn't stick together. Continue to cook for another 8-10 minutes for aldente.

Add olive oil and butter to a skillet and allow to heat up on medium heat before adding in your garlic and shallots.

Once shallots become transparent add in your shrimp and pesto. Mix and allow the shrimp to cook until pink.

Once pasta is aldente remove 3-4 TBSP of water from the pot and set aside. Drain the remaining pasta water and add the pasta into the skillet with the shrimp and pesto. Mix well so that the pasta is well coated.

If you need a little more liquid to cook the pasta a little more add in the pasta water you set aside now. This will also help remove anything stuck to the bottom of the skillet.

Twirl pasta and plate. Add shrimps from the skillet and garnish is pesto sauce and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

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!!!