January 27, 2011

Fun Republic

Hey, yes I know it has been two days. Missed me much? I love holidays…but mid-week ones are the best! As the evening of January 25th approached, I was already letting out little screams of joy. Sigh! Hello Republic Day bliss.
So what does on look forward to on a holiday? Well apart from the actual holiday itself (waking up late and all that), it’s the night before that is most fun. So my best friend’s hubby and I got talking on chat to ‘put’ plan for the evening:
Me: Are you off tom?
Him:  Yeah man, bring on the partaaay!
Me: What do you wanna do?
Him: Dude, what kind of question is that? Let’s drink ourselves dry and high!
Me: Hmmm, okay sounds good..what time, what about food?
Him: Bring on the pasta baby!I’ll bring the booze, you make the food!
Me: Ok awesome…can we watch Black Swan please? It’s supposed to be a brilliant movie…
(Cuts me short…)
Him: Dude, I’m not watching some ridiculous, weird girl becoming a swan movie. Nobody dies also. No way, lets watch Rambo, part 100!
 So in essence, though I did get to watch Black Swan while he was away, the majority of the night was spent slaving in the kitchen as my friend’s hubby and I cooked up a storm. Did it come out great? Oh you bet, so much so that we had people coming home only to eat the food! I’m posting below my version of a Penne Ala Vodka for you guys to enjoy. Tell me how you like it:

Penne A La Vodka
Penne/Rigatoni/Farfalle                                         500 gm
Fresh Cream                                                             500 ml
Blue Cheese                                                               250 gm
Strong cheddar cheese                                             250 gm
Mixed herbs, salt, paprika                                        To taste
Minced Garlic                                                           12-18 pods
Pureed Tomato                                                         200 gm Milk                                                                           2 litres Vodka                                                                        200 ml
Olive Oil                                                                    1 cup
Bacon/Pancetta                                                         200 gm

METHOD: Fill a large pot to the brim with water and set to boil. Throw in some salt and oil. Once the water is boiling add your pasta and stir occasionally. It should take about 20-25 mins to cook. Once done, drain out the water and immediately dunk in ice cold water to stop the cooking process. Set aside to cool.
For the sauce, Pour the olive oil into a pan and once it starts to heat up, throw in the garlic and let it sweat for a few minutes. Now, pour in the vodka, and add the spices and sauté for another 2 mins. Throw in the pureed tomato and let it simmer for about 15 mins, till the tomato is cooked. Now, throw in the cheeses, and once melted, add the milk. Let it reduce in the pot, for about 45 mins. The consistency should be such that it coats the back of a spoon. Add the salt and cream, let it simmer for about 5 mins. Meanwhile, cut the pancetta/bacon into bite size pices, season with pepper and fry them to a crisp. Toss the pasta with the sauce, add bacon bits and serve piping hot.

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