Vodka Cream Pasta

By -
I don't recall seeing this posted before but if it's a repeat it's because it's just so darned good. I made this Rachel Ray recipe for Valentine's Day last week (and admittedly it's about the only thing I've cooked in the last week) and it was delicious.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced (I used one small yellow onion, minced)
1 cup vodka
1 cup chicken stock (I omitted this in favor of a bit of water used to rinse out the cans of crushed tomatoes)
1 can crushed tomatoes (32 ounces)
Coarse salt and pepper
16 ounces pasta (I used whole wheat penne)
1/2 cup heavy cream
20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic, and shallots. Gently saute shallots for 3 to 5 minutes. Add vodka to the pan and reduce vodka by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. Add chicken stock and tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente.

Stir cream into sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves.

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