Penne With Spiced Vodka Sauce

I got this from my desperate housewives cookbook! It's super cute and divided into four sections. Bree's has tons of made-from-scratch, prettily presented dishes. Susan's has really easy recipes since it's said that she is an atrocious cook. Gabby's section has a mixture of healthy model-friendly recipes and traditional mexican recipes. Lynette's has kid friendly food. I got this recipe from Gabby's healthier fare foods. I made it once for the family and they all said it was very good.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 4
• Yields: 4

Ingredients

•  salt
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1⁄2 teaspoon  hot red pepper (or less)
• 1⁄4 cup vodka
• 1 1⁄4 cups  strained tomatoes
• 1⁄2 cup  light cream
• 3⁄4 lb  penne rigate or 3⁄4 lb  regular penne
• 12  fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips
• 1⁄2 cup  grated parmesan cheese
• 1 1⁄2 cups fresh mozzarella cheese, 1/2 inch dice (optional)

Directions

1. Bring pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to directions. Retain 1/2 cup of cooking liquid and drain the rest.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a skillet. Saute garlic and hot red pepper just until you can smell the garlic.
3. Remove pan from heat and add the vodka carefully (it can ignite if too hot!).
4. When boiling stops, return the pan to the heat and stir in the tomatoes. Season with salt.
5. Bring to a simmer and cook five minutes. (sauce can be prepared to this point up to two days in advance. Refrigerate and reheat to simmering before continuing).
6. Turn off heat and stir in cream.
7. Return penne to the pot, scrape in the sauce and add the basil. Stir over low heat, adding some of the reserved liquid, if needed, to make a sauce that lightly coats the pasta. Add salt if needed to taste.
8. Remove from heat, stir in parmesan and mozzarella if using.
9. Serve in warm, shallow bowls.
10. Use broth instead of cooking water to add a little more flavor.
11. Tastes good served with grilled chicken and steamed vegetables.
12. My family includes a bunch of piggies. The recipe states four servings but if you have hungry bears at home it's more like two.