Serves 4. Published November 1, 2006.
So that the sauce and pasta finish cooking at the same time, drop the pasta into boiling water just after adding the vodka to the sauce. If possible, use premium vodka; inexpensive brands will taste harsh in this sauce. Pepper vodka imparts a pleasant flavor and can be substituted for plain.
| 1 | (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes , drained, liquid reserved |
| 2 | tablespoons olive oil |
| 1/2 | small onion , minced (about 1/4 cup) |
| 1 | tablespoon tomato paste |
| 2 | medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons) |
| 1/4-1/2 | teaspoon hot red pepper flakes |
| Table salt | |
| 1/3 | cup vodka |
| 1/2 | cup heavy cream |
| 1 | pound penne pasta |
| 2 | tablespoons minced fresh basil leaves |
| Grated Parmesan cheese , for serving |
1. Puree half of tomatoes in food processor until smooth. Dice remaining tomatoes into 1/2-inch pieces, discarding cores. Combine pureed and diced tomatoes in liquid measuring cup (you should have about 1 2/3 cups). Add reserved liquid to equal 2 cups.
2. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are light golden around edges, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and pepper flakes; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Stir in tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Remove pan from heat and add vodka. Return pan to medium-high heat and simmer briskly until alcohol flavor is cooked off, 8 to 10 minutes; stir frequently and lower heat to medium if simmering becomes too vigorous. Stir in cream and cook until hot, about 1 minute.
4. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta. Cook until just shy of al dente, then drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water, and transfer pasta back to Dutch oven. Add sauce to pasta and toss over medium heat until pasta absorbs some of sauce, 1 to 2 minutes, adding reserved cooking water if sauce is too thick. Stir in basil and adjust seasoning with salt. Divide among pasta bowls and serve immediately, passing Parmesan separately.
Serves 3 to 4. Published January 1, 2003.
If using a kosher chicken, skip the brining and begin with step 2. Broiling the fully roasted and quartered chicken skin-side up as it sits in a shallow pool of sauce crisps and browns the skin while keeping the meat succulent. If you decide to skip the broiling step, go directly from quartering the chicken to finishing the sauce with lemon juice, butter, and herbs.
| 1/2 | cup table salt or 1 cup Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt or 3/4 cup Morton Kosher Salt |
| 1 | whole chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, giblets removed and discarded, chicken rinsed and patted dry |
| Cooking spray | |
| 2 | medium lemons |
| 6 | medium cloves garlic , crushed and peeled |
| 4 | tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), 2 tablespoons melted and the remaining 2 tablespoons chilled and cut into 2 pieces |
| Ground black pepper | |
| 1 3/4 | cups low-sodium chicken broth |
| 1 | tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves |
| 1 | teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves |
1. Dissolve the salt in 2 quarts cold water in a large bowl, stockpot, or Dutch oven. Immerse the chicken in the brine and refrigerate 1 hour. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position; heat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a V-rack with cooking spray and set in a flameproof roasting pan.
3. Cut 1 of the lemons lengthwise into quarters. Place the lemon quarters and garlic in the cavity of the chicken. Following the illustration below, thread a long wooden skewer through the flaps of skin on either side of the cavity. Turn the skewer and rethread back through the skin flaps. Repeat stitching as necessary to shut cavity. Brush breast side of chicken with 1 tablespoon melted butter and season generously with pepper. Place chicken breast-side down in V-rack, then brush back with remaining tablespoon melted butter and season generously with pepper.
4. Roast the chicken 40 minutes. Remove the roasting pan from the oven; increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Using 2 large wads of paper towels, rotate the chicken breast-side up; add 1 cup of the chicken broth to the roasting pan. Return the roasting pan to the oven and continue roasting until the thickest part of a thigh registers 165 to 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 35 to 40 minutes longer. Remove the roasting pan from the oven; tip the V-rack to let the juices from the chicken cavity run into the roasting pan. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest, uncovered, while making the sauce. Remove the V-rack from the roasting pan.
5. Adjust the oven rack to the upper-middle position; heat the broiler. Skim the fat from the drippings in the roasting pan, add the remaining cup chicken broth, and set the roasting pan over high heat on a burner. Simmer the liquid, scraping the pan bottom with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits, until reduced to cup, about 4 minutes; set aside off heat.
6. Discard the lemons and garlic from the chicken cavity. Following the illustrations below, cut the chicken into quarters. Pour the accumulated chicken juices into the roasting pan, then place the chicken quarters, skin-side up, into the sauce in the roasting pan; broil the chicken until the skin is crisp and deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter.
7. Halve the remaining lemon lengthwise; squeeze the juice of one half into the roasting pan; cut the remaining half into 4 wedges and set aside. Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons butter into the sauce until combined; stir in the parsley and thyme. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the chicken with the pan sauce and lemon wedges
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