Rigatoni with 'no-vodka sauce' recipe

My friend Luigi Speranza, who runs a pasta factory in Brooklyn called La Trafila, made me this quick vodka sauce for supper one evening, only leaving out the vodka, said Mateo Zielonka. I enjoyed it so much I’ve since recreated it at home.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 360g dried rigatoni
• 30ml/2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 80g tomato purée
• 1⁄2-1 tsp chilli (hot pepper) flakes (depending on how spicy you like it)
• 250ml double cream
• 1⁄2 bunch of basil (about 15g), leaves only
• parmesan or pecorino (vegetarian, if necessary), grated, to finish
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the garlic and fry for a minute before adding the tomato purée and chilli flakes. Stir together and fry for 5-7 minutes until the tomato purée mixture darkens; it will start catching on the bottom of the pan, but that’s what you want to capture all the flavour.
• Reduce the heat to low, pour in the cream and mix well – I like to use a balloon whisk. Scatter over the basil leaves, mix again and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Leave to one side while you cook the pasta.
• Bring a large pan of water to the boil before adding salt, then add the rigatoni and cook it until it is al dente, following the instructions on the packet.
• Drain the pasta, reserving a ladleful of the cooking water, then add the pasta to the sauce. Toss or swirl together until the pasta is well coated in the sauce, adding some of the cooking water if you think it needs loosening a little.
• Check the seasoning before serving with a generous topping of parmesan or pecorino cheese. Green beans with lemon would be tasty alongside.
• To make a vegan version: replace the dairy cream with the same amount of oat cream. Finish the dish with nutritional yeast or pangrattato (crispy toasted breadcrumbs).

Taken from "Pasta Pronto: Simple, Speedy Recipes to Make Again and Again" by Mateo Zielonka.

Sign up for The Week's Food & Drink newsletter for recipes, reviews and recommendations.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up