Penne Al Salmone – How to Flambé a Pasta Sauce

300g penne pasta (between 120g-150g per portion and between 50g-80g per portion)
120g smoked salmon
150ml double cream
100ml vodka (substitute with white grape juice for non alcoholic, but it won’t flambe)
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
dash of oil
salt and black pepper
20g caviar (optional)

Prepare a medium sized pot full of water and turn it on a high heat. Add some oil and salt and leave it covered so we bring it to the boil quicker. Once it’s boiling, add the pasta and cover again the pot immediately. Give it a stir half way through cooking. For cooking guidelines always read the instructions on the packet.
Prepare a large frying pan on a medium to high heat and add some oil.
Start slicing the salmon into long strips and put it in a container on the side for now. Change your chopping board and wash the knife properly.
Add the onion, garlic and salmon to the hot frying pan and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Give it a stir.
Add vodka to the pan and to make it flambe, tilt the pan slightly forward so the alcohol touches the burner and fires up the pan. Watch it on video from 7:12 for a better explanation. Please be very careful if you are trying to do this and make sure you feel confident enough! Let it reduce by ¾ and let the flames go out by themselves, that’s the alcohol burning out and giving flavour to the dish.
Once the vodka is reduced, add the double cream and give all a gentle stir.
Check that the pasta is cooked to your liking. For a nice al dente bite, it should only take about 5 minutes to be cooked. Drain the pasta and add some oil to it so it won’t stick together.
Add the pasta to the sauce and season lightly.
As an option you can garnish with caviar which gives the whole dish an additional texture and a very tasty palate.