Penne with Smoked Salmon

Makes 4 servings. Serve with simple green salad.

Step 1: Set a pot of salted water to boil. Mise en place ingredients. Time the cooking of the pasta to reach al dente as Step 4 is completed.

Step 2: Warm a sauté pan large enough to hold all of the ingredients over a medium-low heat. When the oil is hot add the shallots to the pan and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often until they are soft but not brown. Add pasta to boiling water.

Step 3: Stir in chopped tomatoes, cover and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Step 4: Add cream, nutmeg, chopped dill, and vodka. Increase heat to high and bring to a full boil; boil for 1 minute.

Step 5: Reduce heat. Add the pasta to the sauce and mix gently, using 2 spoons, until pasta is well coated. Reserve one cup of pasta water.

Ingredients:

  • A generous tablespoon of salt for pasta water.
  • 12 ounces penne or ziti
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
  • 4 small roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
  • ⅔ cup of whipping cream
  • Pinch of ground nutmeg
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or ½ teaspoon dry dill)
  • ⅓ cup vodka
  • 4 to 6 ounces sliced smoked salmon, cut into bite-size strips
  • reserved pasta water
  • Ground white pepper
  • Fresh dill sprigs

Step 6: Remove from heat, add salmon and mix gently. If desired, add a little pasta water to create more sauce. Season to taste with white pepper and garnish with dill sprigs.