Penne with Vodka Sauce

Do you know how there is a famous recipe that travels through certain circles? This vodka recipe belongs to Amy K. in our NJ Nestie group and is the most requested recipe to be shared. This is by far and away the best vodka sauce I have ever had, beating out every Italian restaurant I have ever eaten in. In the past, I have made some substitutions to the recipe. For example, when I was too lazy to go out and pick up prosciutto, I have substituted turkey bacon or regular bacon.  I have to admit that even those it was fine to use the bacon, the prosciutto gives the sauce the best flavor. Today I mistakenly picked up shredded Romano cheese instead of the grated, but it worked out just fine. It look a little bit longer to get the consistency of the sauce to be perfect, but I managed. I also made this last year for our family on Christmas and it was huge hit.

Amy's Vodka Sauce
Makes enough sauce for 1 pound of penne.

1/2 c vodka
1 tbs red pepper flakes
2 tbs oilive oil
1 med onion, chopped
4 slices chopped prosciutto
1 lg can crushed tomatoes
1 c Romano cheese
2 c heavy cream
1/2 stick butter

Directions
Soak vodka and pepper flakes for 10 minutes - the longer the pepper flakes soak, the hotter the sauce will be. Remove flakes; vodka will turn red. Saute olive oil, onion, prosciutto in pot for 8 minutes. Add tomatoes. Add vodka, cook on low for 1/2 hour, then add Romano cheese, heavy cream, and butter.

Is It Sauce or Gravy? The Great Tomato and Pasta Debate

There's really no debate. Call it whatever you like. I prefer to call it sauce, while some of my relatives and friends call it gravy. Whatever the case, there are a million and one ways to make it and pretty much everyone loves it. I use a recipe that is part my own invention, part my mother/grandmother's recipe and part my Aunt Linda's recipe. God bless my Aunt Linda and cousin Lindy for having the patience to come over one freezing December night and show me how to make 'gravy' and meatballs. That was 4 years ago, and I have been working on my sauce/gravy making skills ever since. There are a couple of tricks that I have learned since making my own meatballs and sauce. For starters, only use 80 -85% fat free ground beef. Any less fat in the meat tends to make the meatballs very dry. Adding grated Parmesan to your meatballs adds great flavor. In my experience, Tuttorosso products(sauce,puree and peeled plum tomatoes with basil) make the best sauce/gravy. Like I previously said, there are a million ways to make sauce/gravy and meatballs. I'm sharing my recipe with you, but feel free to add comments and share your own.

Jaime's Homemade Pasta Sauce/Gravy

1 large can (32 oz) of Tuttorosso Tomato Sauce

1 large can (32oz) of Tuttorosso Tomato Puree

1 can Tuttorosso Italian Style Peeled Plum Tomatoes

1/2 TBSP of Garlic or two diced cloves

1-2 TBSP of salt (adjust to taste)

1/2 TBSP of pepper

1/4 TBSP of oregano

1/4 cup of diced onion (This is all you need - more over powers the taste)

1/4 cup of grated Parmesan

Pinch of hot pepper

Add plum tomatoes to bottom of a large pot. Mash the tomatoes with a potato masher or fork. This adds some bulk. Add sauce, puree and spices, stirring intermittently. Simmer for at least an hour, leaving a wooden spoon in the pot - my mother swore this was the secret to great sauce.

Parmesan Meatballs

2 Lbs 80-85% fat ground beef

2 eggs

1 cup Italian Bread Crumbs

2 TBSP of salt

1 TBSP of pepper

1 TBSP of garlic

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

3 TBSP olive oil

Heat oil in frying pan - you can also chop up a clove of garlic and a tiny bit of onion and add to oil. Brown them and remove; they give the olive oil a nice flavor.

Combine all ingredients to ground beef and make sure they are mixed well. When complete, shape meatballs and add to heated pan. Using a slotted spoon or large spoon, keep turning the meatballs so they brown evenly. Once completely cooked and firm, add to sauce.

Serve meatballs and sauce/gravy over your choice of pasta(Here I have a mix of Cappellini and a few errant Wagon Wheels(Piccolini) that escaped the kid's pasta). Garnish with grated Parmesan and serve.