By Columbus Day weekend and Ryan had two days off in a row, which is unusual enough in his schedule that we treat it like a small holiday. We drove to Indiana Dunes on Saturday — two hours, the beach completely different in October from July, cold and gray and beautiful in the specific way that the lake is in fall when the tourists are gone and it is just the water doing what it does regardless of the audience.
We brought a thermos of soup and sandwiches, which is the correct beach lunch in October, and sat on a driftwood log and ate them looking at the water, and Ryan said something that I have been thinking about since. He said: I did not think much about what my life would feel like before it was happening. Now it is happening and it feels like itself. I said I know what you mean. He said good. That is us. That is the shorthand of two people who have been reading each other for over two years.
The soup in the thermos was the roasted tomato soup I have been making since the balcony harvest went into jars — concentrated, a little smoky from the roasting, enriched with a little cream. Eaten from a thermos on a cold Indiana beach it was exactly right in a way that would not have been exactly right indoors. Context is part of cooking. Where you eat it is part of what it is.
October half done. Three months to January. I have been taking prenatal vitamins since September without much ceremony, which is the right way to start something you are building toward. Ryan knows I am taking them. He did not comment on it. He refills my water glass in the evenings without being asked, which is the comment he makes when he does not make one. I have been fluent in this particular language for two years now. I am getting better at it all the time.
The soup in that thermos started with the same instinct this pasta does — roasting tomatoes until they concentrate and darken at the edges, then pulling them into something richer with cream. When we got home from the dunes that evening I made this for dinner, the vodka sauce a natural extension of the day’s whole logic: slow heat, patience, something simple that becomes exactly itself. It felt right to keep cooking in that register, to let the kitchen stay warm while October did its thing outside.
Penne Alla Vodka (Vodka Cream Pasta)
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 12 oz penne pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup vodka
- 1 can (28 oz) whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Fresh basil, torn, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook penne according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.
- Build the base. Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 6–8 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
- Deglaze with vodka. Pour in the vodka and let it simmer, stirring, until mostly reduced, about 2–3 minutes. The alcohol will cook off, leaving behind a faint sharpness that lifts the whole sauce.
- Add the tomatoes. Stir in the crushed tomatoes along with a generous pinch of salt. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 15–20 minutes until the sauce thickens and deepens in color.
- Finish with cream. Reduce heat to low. Stir in the heavy cream and butter and let the sauce simmer gently for 3–4 minutes until silky and cohesive. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
- Combine. Add the drained penne to the skillet and toss to coat, adding reserved pasta water a splash at a time if the sauce needs loosening. Stir in the Parmesan.
- Serve. Divide among bowls and top with additional Parmesan and torn fresh basil. Eat immediately, preferably while it’s still steaming.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 620 | Protein: 17g | Fat: 28g | Carbs: 68g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 540mg