Penne with Vodka Sauce

A tasty pasta dish for the backcountry

I made this dish for Mule and myself on our 2nd night in the Wind River Range last September.  We were at Island Lake, and the scenery made a great meal seem even better.  It’s a bit heavy, but in this particular case it was worth it.

NOTE:  This is a 2-serving dish

Ingredients:

12 oz. pasta of choice (penne or similar is probably best)

1 packet of olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, diced

3-4 oz. diced dehydrated tomato

3 mini bottles of vodka (I’m partial to Tito’s), or approximately 5-6 oz.

1 packet of diced hot red pepper (like at a pizza joint)

1 tsp. dried basil and 1/2 tsp. dried oregano in mini-ziploc

1 oz.+ dried portabella mushroom slices (in snack-sized ziploc)

4 1/2 TB heavy cream powder (like what they have at Hoosier Hill) to be mixed with 1 cup water

small packet of sea salt

packets of parmesan cheese for topping (can never have enough IMHO)

Directions:

1.  Saute onion and garlic, then turn down heat
2.  Add tomatoes, vodka and spices and simmer low for 15 minutes until thickened
3.  Add mushrooms (rehydrate for a few minutes first) and simmer for 5 more minutes
4.  Add cream (should be about 1 cup volume) and salt, stir to mix
5.  Serve over the pasta you cooked and set aside before all this.  Top with parmesan cheese to taste.