Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 1 45

Total Time: 2 15

Servings:

Calories: 515kcal

Author: Edyta

Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola - pasta recipe with Oven Roasted Tomato Sauce from the famous East Hampton's restaurant: Nick and Toni's, featured by Ina Garten on Food Network - Barefoot Contessa; with my little twist of using fresh tomatoes from my own garden.

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
1 yellow onion medium, chopped
3 cloves garlic crushed
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (depending on how spicy you like it)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup vodka
12-15 Roma tomatoes (depending on size), diced
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
3/4 pound penne pasta
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parsley or fresh oregano to garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375F;
In an ovenproof skillet heat up olive oil, add onions, and sauté for about 5 minutes until translucent;
Add garlic and chili flakes and oregano and cook for another minute;
Add vodka and let it cook until reduced by half, about 5-7 minutes;
In the meantime cut up the tomatoes;
Add to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes;
Cover the pan with the fitted lid and transfer to the oven;
Roast for 1 hour and a half;
Cook pasta according to instructions but 1 minute less (you want to finish cooking it in the sauce);
Remove the tomatoes from the oven and puree in a blender (be careful to cover the blender tightly with kitchen towels and do not fill up more than 1/3rd at the time);
If the tomatoes produced too much liquid put some of it aside. Once you blend your tomatoes and the sauce is too thick you may want to add more liquid to the blender to achive the consistency of the sauce that you like.
If you have a high-speed blender your sauce should be very smooth. However, if your blender is not very powerful and you end up with pieces of seeds/skin, simply use a mesh strainer and strain the sauce through it.
Once all the sauce is blended, place it in the pan and add cream;
Mix together and let cook for about 3 minutes;
Add grated cheese and season with salt and pepper;
Add pasta to the sauce, mix well and let it cook for another minute;
Sprinkle with fresh herbs, more cheese, and pepper, and serve immediately.

Nutrition