A Valentines Day Dinner Recipe – Vodka Cream Pasta Special – You Won’t Be Single For Long

Here’s a wonderful easy dinner to impress your Valentine.  Serve with a wonderful salad of mixed greens, hot crusty Italian bread and your favorite wine.  

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan in a slow stream
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 cup vodka
1 cup chicken stock
1 can crushed tomatoes (32 ounces)
 Coarse salt and pepper
16 ounces pasta, such as penne rigate
1/2 cup heavy cream
20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn
 Crusty bread, for passing

Directions:

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat.

Add oil, butter, garlic, and shallots.

Gently saute shallots for 3 to 5 minutes to develop their sweetness.

Add vodka to the pan, 3 turns around the pan in a steady stream will equal about 1 cup.

Reduce vodka by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes.

Add chicken stock, 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 (with a bite to it).

While pasta cooks, prepare your salad or other side dishes.

Stir cream into sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat. Drain pasta.

Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves.

Pass pasta with crusty bread.

Total Time: 25 min
Prep: 5 min
Cook:20 min
Yield:4 servings
Level:Easy
Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray and foodnetwork.com