UBS In Person Cooking Class: Fusion Penne alla Vodka with South Asian Spice

*Please note: This is an internal event for UBS employees only. This event is virtual. Please register using your UBS email address as this is an internal company event.*

Penne alla Vodka, South Asian Style

Serves 4

1 lb tubed pasta, such as penne or rigatoni

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 cinnamon stick and/or star anise

1 green cardamom pod

1 bay leaf and/or curry leaf
1 sweet onion or 2 shallots, small dice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced

¼” knob ginger, minced
½ cup tomato paste

1 tsp garam masala

½ tsp Kashmiri chili powder

½ tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp ground cumin

¼ tsp ground fennel
¼ cup vodka

½ cup tomato puree

Pinch sugar
⅔ cup heavy cream, at room temperature

about ⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Handful fresh herbs, chopped, such as basil, parsley, cilantro, or a combination

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente (check box for timing). Drain, reserving about 1 ½ cups pasta water. Drizzle a little olive oil on pasta and toss occasionally to prevent it from sticking while you prepare the sauce.
2. Place a large skillet or Dutch oven (large enough to hold the sauce and pasta) over medium heat and add oil and butter. Add cinnamon stick, star anise, and cardamom; let sizzle until just fragrant. Bruise bay and/or curry leaf and add to pan.

3. Add onion and season with salt and pepper; cook until softened, 3 - 4 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook 1 minute until aromatic, stirring. Add tomato paste and spices and cook 1- 2 minutes. Stir constantly, scraping bottom of pan with. wooden or silicone spoon or spatula, until the tomato is caramelizing.
4. Add vodka to pan and delgaze, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add tomato puree, sugar, and ½ cup pasta water. Bring to a low simmer and cook 8 - 10 minutes, stirring often and scraping bottom off pan to ensure nothing is sticking. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove cinnamon stick, star anise, and cardamom pod.

5. Slowly stir in cream; be sure cream is not cold when added or it is more likely to break (if needed you can microwave cream on a low setting in 30 second intervals until slightly warm). Bring to a simmer, taste and adjust. Add more pasta water if needed to thin texture.

If you want to puree the sauce, remove sauce from heat and use a handheld or stand blender to puree until smooth. Return to the pot if sauce was removed to a stand blender.

6. Over medium low heat, add cooked pasta and a handful of parmesan cheese to the sauce, stirring constantly. Taste and adjust seasoning, or adjust texture with more pasta water. Serve and garnish with more parmesan and fresh basil, parsley, and cilantro.

Host or Publisher UBS Weehawken