Stephencooks

Cream, Elizabeth David reported to us (Italian Food), "is rarely used in Italy for the cooking of meat, fish or sauces as it is in France." This detail, however, didn't deter some chef in the 80's from adding cream to tomato sauce, tossing in some vodka and introducing Penne with Vodka Sauce. (Why is it always penne, I wonder?) This dish had a viral run of popularity in the 80's and even today is found on menus all over the world. Recipes for it can be found for it that tout it as an Italian traditional dish, which if true refers only to a "tradition" of about twenty years in length and based on a dish imported to Italy from the U.S!

On the other hand, Marcella Hazan (Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking) has a "Pink Shrimp Sauce with Cream," which, while omitting the vodka, is pretty much like all the vodka sauce recipes. While she calls it an "elegant and lively sauce," she doesn't shed any light on its origins, though I think given the title of her book I'd hope I'm within bounds if I assume the sauce is of classic origins. (She recommends tagliatelle or pappardelle, by the way.)

There's also Alfredo Sauce, popularized by a restaurant in Rome and served by the tankerload at Olive Garden, which includes cream in every version I've seen. Hazan has it in her book as well (where she calls it "Cream and Butter Sauce" but references Alfredo Sauce in the introduction). I was surprised to find it in her book,  since the version actually developed and served at the original Alfredo's restaurant is made only with cheese and butter, and Italians are in general unaware of the cream-based "Alfredo sauce," except as a reverse import. I suppose, however, books for the American market have to contain dishes that Americans expect to find.

None of these authenticity issues, however, got in my way last night when I got a request from E, my most faithful regular diner,  for a creamy pink sauce with shrimp and pasta, so I read three or four of the thousands of recipes for Vodka Sauce on the web (from Emeril to Epicurious) and went to work. This version, which brings in pancetta and shallots and introduces a hint of garlic, was exactly the silky comfort food we were looking for on a snowy night by the fire. Authentic? I don't think so. Good food? Definitely!

By the way, I used the meaty Amalfi style of pasta called scialatelli (imported by Pirro), which is basically a thicker round spaghetti. These thick strands, I think, lent to the hearty feeling the dish had. In the absence of scialatelli, I'd use linquine, I guess, or maybe even...penne.