Pink Vodka Sauce recipe

Last week, I requested some recipes to help use up some heavy cream I knew I'd have left over after making white pizza. Lindsay suggested I try Rachel Ray's "You Won't Be Single For Long" Vodka Cream Pasta.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan in a slow stream
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 cup vodka
1 cup chicken stock
1 can crushed tomatoes (32 ounces)
Coarse salt and pepper
16 ounces pasta, such as penne rigate
1/2 cup heavy cream
20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn
Crusty bread, for passing

Directions
Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic, and shallots. Gently saute shallots for 3 to 5 minutes to develop their sweetness. Add vodka to the pan, 3 turns around the pan in a steady stream will equal about 1 cup. Reduce vodka by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente (with a bite to it). While pasta cooks, prepare your salad or other side dishes.

Stir cream into sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves. Pass pasta with crusty bread.

Ryan and I made this on Saturday night. Well, Ryan made it, and I assisted by grating cheese and reading the recipe to him as he went.

He tweaked the recipe just a bit...we used one shallot instead of two, and about six cloves of garlic. Also, the can of tomatoes I had in my stockpile was 28 oz, not 32. We also added a pinch of crushed red pepper once it was finished. It was awesome and only took about 20 minutes to make. Ryan also made chicken parm and we had some salad that I had brought over along w/some Italian bread.

I would have taken pictures if it hadn't been devoured so quickly. Maybe next time!