I love "Pennette alla Vodka"! This dish reminds me of many nights out for dinner with my friends when I was in my 20s.
As this is a typical fish dish from le Marche region, the best restaurants serving exceptional Pennette alla Vodka pasta can be found in Senigallia, just north of Ancona. Contrary to those you see in the various blogs made with pancetta, pennette with vodka from Marche has the scent of the sea withshrimps, the sweetness of cream, the freshness of tomato, the spicy taste of chilli and the intense aroma of vodka. All served with a sprinkling of fresh parsley.
Like all the dishes, Pennette alla Vodka is linked to an era, the 80s.
There are a lot variations for this recipe but all of them include the use of cream, which was the main and most popular ingredient used during those years. Also, the shot of vodka was the main drink on a long night out. If you want to organise an 80s party dinner with friends, this first course could certainly be the star!
For 2 people:
200g Pennette pasta
100g prawns or shrimps
200g Tomato puree
125g double cream
1 garlic clove
parsley
salt
dried flakes Chilli
Extra virgin olive oil
1 shot of Vodka
In a large saucepan, start to prepare and boil the water with salt where later you will be cooking your Penette.
In a large pan place the olive oil, chilli and crushed garlic on a medium/high heat. When the garlic starts to turn golden add the prawns and, after a few minutes when they start to release the gravy, remove and place them on a side plate. This to avoid to overcook the prawns. Add the tomato puree. Bring the sauce to the boil, cover and cook the sauce at medium/low heat until the tomato puree becomes consistent. Then add the prawns back and the vodka and quickly with a match light the vodka on fire until the flames disappear. This will remove the alcohol and leave a delicious taste.
Let it boil for a few minutes, add the cream and boil for a minute, just the time to salt to taste. Remove from the heat.
Cook the pasta and once drained add to the sauce. Use some of the cooking pasta if the sauce becomes too thick or dry. This will help to make your pasta creamier. Serve the pasta by adding some chopped parsley on top.
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