Penne alla Vodka, Smoked al Telefono

Ingredients:

1 large can of whole tomatoes

5 cloves of garlic, finely sliced

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

6 fresh basil leaves, whole

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 lb of penne

½ cup of heavy or light cream

1 shot of vodka (optional)

1 fresh smoked mozzarella, thinly sliced

¼-½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

2-4 thick slices of pancetta sliced into ¼” squares

Salt and pepper

This is a dish I made for the boys in the band around late September-early October 2002. It has stayed in the rotation for years. We were laying basic tracks on what is now The Swinger Eight EP. It had been a long day and the weather had become chilly. Not cold, but a bit nippy considering it had just been summer. I had all this stuff lying around so I whipped this dish up to fill our aching stomachs. When I said I’d like a recipe page on the website, they all agreed that this one must be on it. It can get a bit heavy because it is primarily a dairy and carbohydrate dish, but on those early fall nights, especially the cooler ones, this dish can be warming, comforting and a perfect blend of sophistication and down home Italian American cooking. Most Italian restaurants and pizza joints make Penne alla Vodka and I’ve always liked it, but in this version I’ve stolen the Italian idea of a dish “al Telefono”. In Italy, when the telephone was introduced, the phone cords reminded them of the strings that melted mozzarella make when served, especially in dishes like this.

A few words about pancetta, smoked mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano and vodka: Pancetta is an Italian bacon, cut from the same area as American bacon. It is rolled and then cured like American bacon, but unlike American bacon it is not smoked. If you know an Italian butcher, ask him for it. If you can’t find pancetta, I would recommend you go with a good slab bacon, and have it sliced thickly. Try to avoid wet, over salted supermarket bacon. Fresh smoked mozzarella has the same creaminess as regular fresh mozzarella and is a must for this recipe. If you can’t find smoked mozzarella, you can use fresh but try to avoid using Polly-o or one of the other hard, processed mozzarellas out there. Parmigiano-Reggiano is the real Italian version of what is called Parmesan cheese here. There really is no substitute…but if you have to, use one that tastes good! Most of the bottles labeled Parmesan cheese are so processed and so cheaply made that they often use sawdust as filler! Go to a good deli counter and get a Romano or a Locatelli that has been freshly grated. I say that the vodka is optional because I have made it with and with out, and though there is a difference, it is not a huge difference. The alcohol in the vodka basically accesses a certain flavor component in the tomato, activating some of the more viney, herbal flavors. So if you’re feeling a bit daring and you have some vodka, go for it!

The first part of this recipe involves making an easy (and quick!) and authentic marinara sauce. I’ve seen many people pull their hair out try to make good tomato sauces and time and time again, their biggest problem has been doing too much. Most Italian tomato sauces are quick cooks; you can cook them in thirty minutes or so and they involve the use of no more then 4 or 5 ingredients. Knowing how to make a good marinara sauce is the first step in unlocking a myriad of dishes. For wine with this dish I would go with a very young red that’s fruity and not overly acidic. This is not a good dish for a big wine like a Cabernet or Chianti. I tried a merlot with this dish once and was very pleasantly surprised but make sure it’s a young one. Rose or blush wines are considered by some to be inferior but most of these make good dinner wines. Any one that you like would go very nicely.

On with the show!

Heat a medium pot or saucepan over medium high heat. When it is hot, add the olive oil. If it begins to smoke, pull it off the heat, count to twenty and then continue. Add the garlic and cook until it turns slightly golden. This shouldn’t take very long so have the can of tomatoes opened already. Don’t overcook the garlic! Add the puree from the can of tomatoes and then use your hands to slightly mash the individual whole tomatoes. Once the contents of the can are in, stir the sauce well and allow it to come to a mild boil. Add a few pinches of salt and pepper now. Reduce the heat to a very low flame. Simmer for about 25 to 30 minutes; adding the whole fresh basil leaves about half way through. Taste it! Does it need salt and pepper?

Once the sauce has simmered for 25 to 30 minutes and you’ve adjusted the seasoning, you’re done. Well you’re not done, but you’ve made marinara sauce. In another pan, heat the butter until it has almost entirely melted, then add the pancetta. Cook for a few minutes until it becomes lightly browned, but has not become crispy! Pour about half of the sauce into an airtight container. Put it in the fridge. You will have left over sauce so now you have some good sauce for later in the week. Add the pancetta mixture into the remaining sauce. Add half of the shot of vodka now if you want. Drink the other half. Turn the heat to medium. If you put the vodka in, cook it for two minutes. Whisk the cream in and cook until sauce thickens. This should take 3-5 minutes, but may take longer. You don’t want to have a watery consistency, so wait. When the pasta is cooked (it must be very al dente), put it into a strainer. In the pot you boiled the pasta in, add a few large spoonfuls of sauce (enough to cover the bottom). Now add the pasta back into the pot and add the rest of the sauce. Place over medium low heat and add the sliced mozzarella and the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Cook for a minute or two until the mozzarella is just melted. Serve with some crusty bread.

Remember to experiment a little. You may like less cream; you may like more cream. You may decide you hate pancetta or smoked mozzarella. You may wonder why you’ve come to a blog for recipes! Don't ask why. Just quiet that internal voice of doubt and make this dish.