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How to spice up your life
When I find myself in a cooking rut, I turn to the spice drawer to inject some intrigue into my meals: smoky paprika for a rich chicken stew; toasted cumin seeds ground and dusted over pork chops while they fry in butter; or a sprinkle of cinnamon in my morning porridge.
Vodka Penne is an American-Italian classic that I have served as a quick-fix dinner on many occasions when the cupboards were bare in our first apartment. Over the years, I've revisited the original recipe, sometimes with quick meatballs made of pork sausage and fennel, and more recently with this spicy version, which breaks the meatballs down to create a speedy ragu. The alcohol in the vodka sharpens the flavour of the tomato puree and is fairly essential to the authentic flavour of the dish.
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