Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola

This is one of the BEST tomato sauces I have EVER made! Veganized from a recipe I saw made on the Barefoot Contessa byJoe Realmuto, executive chef and owner of the East Hampton restaurant Nick & Toni’s. This recipe, as we are told, is one of his most popular dishes. I watched and I was a believer. Sure, he baked the sauce in the oven for an hour and a half, and used an entire CUP of vodka... I thought: ditch the cream, replace it with Simple Cashew Cream, loose the cheese... I'm ready to try this!!

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1⁄4 cup olive oil
• 1  medium Spanish onion, chopped
• 3  garlic cloves, diced
• 1⁄2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1  cup vodka
• 2 (28 ounce) cans plum tomatoes, whole (San Marzano are nice, but not necessary)
• 2  teaspoons kosher salt
•  fresh ground black pepper, to taste
• 1  lb penne pasta (I've even used whole wheat)
• 4  tablespoons fresh oregano

• For the cashew heavy cream

• 1⁄2 cup cashews, raw, unsalted
• 1  cup  almond milk, unsweetened (soymilk ok too)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large oven proof saute pan over medium heat, add the onions and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes until translucent.
3. Add the red pepper flakes and dried oregano and cook for 1 minute more. Add the vodka and continue cooking until the mixture is reduced by half.
4. Meanwhile, add the tomatoes and crush them into the pan with your hands. Add 2 teaspoons salt and a pinch of black pepper.
5. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and place it in the oven for 1 1/2 hours.
6. While the sauce simmers in the oven, prepare the cream:
7. Add cashews and non dairy milk to a blender and blend until completely pureed and smooth, set aside.
8. Remove tomato sauce from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes.
9. Place the tomato mixture in a blender and puree in batches until the sauce is a smooth consistency (or if you have an immersion blender, that would work well here). Return to the pan.
10. Reheat the sauce, add 2 tablespoons fresh oregano and enough cashew cream to make the sauce a creamy consistency.
11. Add salt and pepper, to taste, and simmer for 10 minutes.
12. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta al dente. Drain.
13. Toss the pasta into the sauce and cook for 2 minutes more.