Farfalle with Vodka Sauce

There are two reasons I really like this sauce: first, it is easy to make without a trip to the store.  My house is always stocked with onion, garlic, and canned tomatoes.  By the way, did you know that canned tomatoes are usually the best tomatoes you can get for your family?  Tomatoes are a distinctly summer crop.  What you buy in the spring or winter is grown under conditions that just do not make for good food.  Now, summer is the time to make my capellini pomodoro, but, in the winter, when you cannot get decent tomatoes no matter how much you want to spend, don't turn your nose up at some canned tomatoes.  They were picked at the peak of freshness and canned the same day they were picked. Frankly, they are the freshest tomato you will buy outside of a farmers' market, but, I digress.  The second thing I like about this sauce is that it is really different from other pasta sauces.  If your family is like mine, you eat a lot of pasta and it is nice to have something different once in a while.   Well, the alcohol in this sauce takes flavors that are in tomatoes already and dissolves them so that you can taste them.  This makes for a previously undiscovered tomato taste!  I hope your family enjoys this taste experience.


Farfalle with Vodka Sauce
Total Time: 30 minutes     Serves: 4

• 1 pound Farfalle Pasta, cooked
• 1 Onion, diced
• 2 cloves Garlic, pressed or minced
• 1 Tablespoon Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 can (28 oz) Crushed Tomatoes
• 1/4 cup Vodka
• 1/4 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/2 cup Cream
• Pepper, to taste

In pan melt butter then add olive oil and onion, cook until onions are soft, about 5 minutes.


Add garlic, tomatoes, vodka and red pepper flakes.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for at least 10 minutes.


To sauce add pepper and cream stir to combine and toss with pasta.