Vodka Sauce

Vodka sauce is not something I ate growing up. As a young adult I tasted it a few times in a restaurant and thought it was okay but there were other sauce I liked better. Then my mom made this recipe at home and I was hooked. I make this pretty often and my husband says this is the only vodka sauce he likes.

Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Serves 6

1 quart homemade tomato sauce
1 cup vodka
1/2 cup Mascarpone cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound tube pasta (I used Gemelli)

Simmer tomato sauce and vodka in a heavy skillet over low heat until it reduces by about 1/4, stirring, about 20 minutes. Stir in the Mascarpone cheese. Simmer over low heat until cheese is melted and sauce is heated through. Stir in Parmesan cheese until melted and well blended.

Cook pasta according to package direction until al dente, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta and transfer to pan with sauce, toss to coat. Serve topped with additional Parmesan cheese.

Pasta Piselli

Italian-American kids are not allowed to eat Spaghetti-Os. If you have a parent or grandparent from Italy you know exactly what I'm talking about. Pasta does not come in can! This is what my husband would get as a kid if he asked for Spaghetti-Os

Both my husband and I come from Italian heritage and we have many wonderful recipes for family favorites. This recipe is his Grandma Jenny's for spaghetti and peas. I had a rough recipe from her and he was able to fill in the missing pieces. According to him mine tasted exactly as he remembered hers.

From Grandma Jenny

Serves 4

Olive oil
2 small cans of tomato sauce (if using homemade be sure it is pureed to get the smooth texture)
1/2 medium onion, diced fine
2 large stalks celery, diced fine
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 box frozen peas
1 lb whole wheat thin spaghetti, broken in half

Coat the bottom of a sauce pan with olive oil, brown onion over medium-high heat. Add celery, garlic, and 2 cans of sauce. Cook for 1 hour on medium-low heat. Meanwhile cook broken spaghetti to al dente and drain. Add peas to sauce and cook 5-10 minutes. Add pasta to sauce and heat through. Serve sprinkled with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.