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Giada De Laurentiis's Penne with Vodka Sauce

Excerpted with Permission from Her Debut Cookbook, Everyday Italian

This tasty Italian-American invention (you just won't find it in Italy) looks like it's a heavy dish, but the vodka kicks in and heats up the back of your throat to cut through the heavy cream. You can buy it in a jar, but becaue it's a cinch to make and very yummy, it's definitely worth taking the few minutes to make it from scratch. I like to serve it with rigatoni or penne.

Vodka Sauce

        (Makes About 1 Quart; Serves 4 Over a Pound of Pasta as a Main Course)
        3 cups Marinara Sauce
        1 cup vodka
         1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
        1/2 cup grated Parmean cheese
        1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
        1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

In a heavy, large skillet, simmer the marinara sauce and vodka over low heat, stirring often until the mixture reduces by one fourth, about 20 minutes. Stir in the cream and continue to simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the Parmesan, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste.

It's important to have your cream at room temperature so that it does not curdle when it is mixed with the marinara sauce.

Giada De Laurentiis's Penne with Vodka Sauce

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