Welcome Back, JC!

This post is dedicated to a friend of mine who writes one of my favorite blogs and the first music blog I ever read, The Vinyl Villain.

Jim took a wee blogging break and is back today. That is really good news!

You can read all about how I met up with JC in this post here.

Here is an intro I did for the Contrast Podcast, way back in March of 2009, explaining how I found The Vinyl Villain.
Songs Which Offer Advice

If you don’t read The Vinyl Villain, you really should go check it out.

One of the places that Jim took us to eat while we were visiting Glasgow was DiMaggio’s. So, to celebrate his return to the blogosphere, we’re going to make some Italian food.

I’ve shared a Penne Alla Vodka recipe before. This one was super good. Plus there was a cocktail to go along with it in that post.

This recipe is quite similar only it has a touch less cream and no sun-dried tomatoes.

Penne With Vodka Sauce

Ingredients:

Kosher salt
12 ounces penne
1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes (I used diced tomatoes cuz’ I had some already. It was also so I could avoid the ‘crushing with hands’ step below.)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup vodka
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
Handful of fresh basil leaves, torn, plus more for topping

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta. Empty the tomatoes into a bowl and crush with your hands.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and stir in the vodka, tomatoes and salt to taste.

3. Return the skillet to medium heat and simmer, stirring often, until the alcohol cooks off, about 7 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and cook until the sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan and basil.

4. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to combine, adding some of the reserved cooking water to loosen, if needed. Season with salt. Serve topped with more Parmesan and basil.

Serves 4 to 6

Recipe from Food Network Magazine

And now for the song that started my friendship with JC.

Honestly, can a song be more perfect?

Play, then repeat. Do this about 10 times and you’ll have the best Monday ever.
Bourgie Bourgie-Breaking Point

Check out Bourgie Bourgie on Myspace and by using The Vinyl Villain’s search engine. You can buy the music here.

Cheers!