Penne Alla "Not-ka"

Penne Alla "Not-ka"


Serves 4
Calories per serving: 371

2 teaspoons olive oil, plus extra for serving
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup chopped red onion
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes or whole tomatoes in juice, pureed in a food processor
Pinch red pepper flakes
8 ounces penne
1/4 cup heavy cream
6 tablespoons evaporated nonfat milk
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the penne.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the 2 teaspoons oil with the garlic over low heat until the garlic begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Add the onion and 1/4 teaspoon salt, cover, and cook until the onion is softened, about 2 more minutes. Add the tomato, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and simmer very gently 10 minutes. Stir in the cream and evaporated milk and simmer 1 more minute.

3. Meanwhile, after the sauce has cooked 5 minutes, add the penne to the boiling water and cook until just shy of al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup pasta water. Add the drained penne to the saucepan and simmer until the penne is al dente, 1 to 2 minutes, adding a little of the pasta cooking water if the mixture is dry. Stir in 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, along with the basil and black pepper.

4. To serve, divide pasta among 4 serving bowls. Drizzle each serving with 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.

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Notes:
-You NEED to make this recipe. It's THAT good. I'm thinking this will become a once a week frequency in this house. I've made it a few times now, once when my two friends Audrey and Katie came over! Of course the one time I made it for someone other than the hubs, I didn't have the right ingredients! I only had tomato puree/sauce rather than diced tomatoes. You may think- Aim, it's the same thing. In a way, yes...but the consistency was off.

-I bought garlic ciabatta rolls/bread today for a $1 (!) to go with it and a salad. You definitely need bread of some sorts as the sauce is running and SCREAMS to be sopped up with garlic bread!

-I've started doubling this as the hubs has requested more leftovers!

-To get more legit, I am going to start researching the correct ways to do things with cooking. I went to a cooking class in Charlottesville before Christmas and learned a LOT. It was a cooking class on the food from the movie Eat, Pray, Love. If anyone wants recipes, let me know! Anyways... I learned about mise en place, which is French for "putting in place." The instructor said it was German, but Wikipedia says French...who to believe?!!?? Anyways, it's the process of preparing all your ingredients ahead of time before starting to cook. Like they do on Food Network and the Cooking Channel.

I bought these adorable nesting bowls awhile back at (where else?) TJMaxx:

So, I went about prepping!

This does take time to do, but it's totally worth it. Even if not for convenience, you do feel like a chef on tv!