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Penne a la Vodka

Decided to use a different pasta
This is another one of those recipes...like chicken Francese...that is so overdone and can be downright awful. But when it's made right; it's delicious. Well I was in the mood for this but things took a little bit of a dark turn for a while. I used many utensils because of stupidity and used the wrong pan and broke the stick blender and mismeasured the vodka and the camera battery was flashing red but when I finally sat down to eat...it was all worth it.

Penne a la Vodka

2T butter
1T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
2 clove garlic, minced
salt/pepper
1 28 oz can of whole tomatoes
1/2 t oregano
1/4 c basil
1/4 c vodka
1/2 c heavy cream
2 T parsley, chopped
1lb pasta (preferably penne with ridges)
In a dutch oven melt butter and add olive oil.  Add onion, carrot, and celery. Add salt. Saute until they start to color (about 15-20 minutes). Add tomato, oregano, half the basil, and vodka. Break up tomatoes with a spoon. Simmer 10 minutes. Add heavy cream and continue to simmer about 20 minutes. Remove sauce from heat and puree with a stick blender or in batches in a regular blender. Mix with pasta.

Sigh - now I have to look for another stick blender. It stopped working another time. I had the Sous Chef look at it and it spontaneously starting working. Maybe that will happen again. It's probably about 10 years old so it really doesn't owe me much. It's been a faithful friend for vodka sauce and many soups.
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