RUSSIAN RECIPES

Butter Me Up Scampi Bucatini

Serves 6

Ingredients

	Salt
	1 pound bucatini pasta
	1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails off or large sea scallops, foot removed and patted dry
	1 tablespoon seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay
	2 lemons, 1 sliced and 1 juiced
	1 stick butter
	6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
	1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
	1 cup flat leaf parsley, loosely packed
	2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
	1 teaspoon fennel seeds
	1/2 cup white wine or white vermouth

It's Rachael Ray's most romantic dish!

INGREDIENTS

	1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan in a slow stream
	1 tablespoon butter
	2 cloves garlic, minced
	2 shallots, minced
	1 cup vodka
	1 cup chicken stock
	1 can crushed tomatoes (32 ounces)
	Coarse salt and pepper
	16 ounces pasta, such as penne rigate
	1/2 cup heavy cream
	20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn

Serve with:

Crusty bread, for passing

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic and shallots. Gently sauté shallots for 3 to 5 minutes to develop their sweetness. Add vodka to the pan (3 turns around the pan in a steady stream will equal about 1 cup). Reduce vodka by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente (with a bite to it). While pasta cooks, prepare your salad or other side dishes.

Stir cream into sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves. Pass pasta with crusty bread.