Penne Alla Vodka Pizza
Penne alla vodka and pizza stand at the top of Italian comfort food. Two great things go great together!
Ingredients
- 4 oz pancetta diced
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil divided
- 8 cloves garlic divided
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 can whole peeled San Marzano plum tomatoes
- 1/3 cup vodka
- 1/2 cup frozen sweet peas
- 6 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tsp salt divided
- 8 oz uncooked penne pasta
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 1 lb fresh deli pizza dough room temperature
- 8 oz low-moisture mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 1/4 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese finely grated with a Microplane grater
- 2 tbsp flat leaf parsley chopped
Instructions
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Place a pizza stone or an overturned rimmed baking sheet in the oven, and preheat oven to 500°F. (Do not remove pizza stone while oven preheats.)
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Cook pancetta in a large, high-sided skillet over medium, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 7 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil to pancetta, and reduce heat to medium-low. Smash 5 of the garlic cloves, and add to pancetta. Stir in crushed red pepper, and cook, stirring often, until garlic is lightly browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Carefully add tomatoes, and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally and crushing tomatoes with a potato masher until sauce thickens slightly about 8 minutes. Add vodka, and cook 2 minutes. Add peas, and stir to combine; cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Stir in cream and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Set aside.
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Cook pasta 1 minute less than package directions for al dente. Drain.
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Finely chop remaining 3 garlic cloves on a cutting board, and sprinkle with a remaining pinch of salt. Mash garlic and salt into a paste; transfer to a small saucepan. Add butter and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Heat gently over medium-low until butter is melted and garlic begins to sizzle about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
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Stretch dough into a 14-inch circle on parchment paper. Brush dough with garlic butter until lightly covered, concentrating on edges of dough round; reserve remaining garlic butter. Slide pizza crust, with parchment paper, onto the hot pizza stone.
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Bake in preheated oven until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven; brush with reserved garlic butter, and sprinkle evenly with mozzarella, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Toss cooked pasta with vodka sauce and spread over mozzarella. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, and return to oven.
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Bake at 500°F until crust is browned and cheese is melted, 5 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano. Cut into 8 slices.