I just made this dish last night and boy, was it good! Even my fussy teenager liked it. Can't say it's good for you (has cream!), but it has a unique flavor. I got this off the internet months ago and swore one day I would try it. It so happened that I had exactly one cup of homemade marinara sauce and some cream and well, it just seemed like the time to give it a whirl! The only thing I think I would change next time would be to add roasted red peppers and mushrooms (perhaps in the marinara sauce) and freshly minced garlic when adding the cream.

Cook rigatoni until al dente, then drain. Return the pasta to the same large pot in which it was cooked, place over medium heat and continually stir for two minutes or until very dry and hot. Add the vodka, after shaking the bottle sufficiently so that some pepper flakes are included.

Cook and stir one minute, then carefully place a lighted match to the pasta. A flame will develop. After the flame subsides, add the olive oil and cream. Cook and stir until cream gets hot. Add the Parmesan cheese and marinara sauce. Continue to cook just until the cheese melts. Serve hot.

Pepper Vodka: Add six teaspoons red pepper flakes to one quart of vodka. Let the mixture sit at least two weeks before making the dish. Leftover vodka keeps indefinitely. (Note: I didn't bother steeping the vodka very long-it sat maybe 10 minutes or so with the crushed pepper flakes while my pasta cooked. I don't know if it would've made a difference letting it sit for two weeks or not- it still had plenty of firey flavor and was truly wonderful and different.)

Mar 31, 98