Pasta with Vodka Sauce

I LOVE this dish. It reminds me of my Mediaedge days when we would go to Remi's takeout cafe and get penne with vodka sauce for lunch. Yum! I miss those days and my friends that I worked with there. This recipe does not compare with Remi, but I tried. I had a little bit of ziti left in a box and a bit of whole wheat penne and I wanted to get rid of both. Also, the original recipe calls for 1/2 cup of finely chopped onions, but I had none so I used two small shallots instead. Also, you can use whatever kind of vodka you want for the sauce. I chose Kettle One since there would be a lot leftover and would rather have a vodka I would drink versus the cheap stuff that could take nail polish off.

1/2 uncooked penne (the ziti worked too)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
2 shallots (or 1/2 cup of onion, finely chopped)
1 teaspoon of salt (divided)
1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
1 minced garlic clove
1/2 vodka
1/4 chicken broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can of diced tomatoes, undrained
1/4 whipping cream
3 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
   
2. Heat the oil up in a large saucepan. Add the shallots and cook until they are tender. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and garlic; saute 1 minute. Add the vodka; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half. Stir in the rest of the salt, broth, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 8 minutes.
3. Place the tomato mixture in a blender and process until smooth.
4. Return the mixture to the sauce pan; stir in the cream. Cook 2 minutes over medium heat. Remove from heat, stir in the pasta and basil.

Special thanks for this go to our neighbors Dennis and Amy for giving us some basil. My basil plant has no leaves left. Next year, I resolve to grow a huge basil plant.