Penne Alla Vecchia Bettola - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, diced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 cup vodka
2 (28 ounce) cans plum tomatoes, whole (San Marzano are nice, but not necessary)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 lb penne pasta (I've even used whole wheat)
4 tablespoons fresh oregano
For the cashew heavy cream
1/2 cup cashews, raw, unsalted
1 cup almond milk, unsweetened (soymilk ok too)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat the olive oil in a large oven proof saute pan over medium heat, add the onions and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes until translucent.
Add the red pepper flakes and dried oregano and cook for 1 minute more. Add the vodka and continue cooking until the mixture is reduced by half.
Meanwhile, add the tomatoes and crush them into the pan with your hands. Add 2 teaspoons salt and a pinch of black pepper.
Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and place it in the oven for 1 1/2 hours.
While the sauce simmers in the oven, prepare the cream:
Add cashews and non dairy milk to a blender and blend until completely pureed and smooth, set aside.
Remove tomato sauce from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes.
Place the tomato mixture in a blender and puree in batches until the sauce is a smooth consistency (or if you have an immersion blender, that would work well here). Return to the pan.
Reheat the sauce, add 2 tablespoons fresh oregano and enough cashew cream to make the sauce a creamy consistency.
Add salt and pepper, to taste, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta al dente. Drain.
Toss the pasta into the sauce and cook for 2 minutes more.