Penne alla Cognac

I remember standing before the huge glass windows of Restaurant Taormina at a time when Mulberry Street in Manhattan’s Little Italy bustled and breathed. Our favorite waiter always sat us by those floor-to-ceiling windows, sometimes even squeezing a table into the space for our party, so we had the best seats in the room. From my perfect perch, I’d watch pedestrians peer into the brightly-lit dining room where patrons sipped red wine and dirty martinis and feasted on veal topped with eggplant and prosciutto, clams oreganata and pasta fagiole.

Taormina existed for its regular customers. I felt badly when prospective patrons, expecting to be seated at the half-full restaurant, were turned away. The empty tables they pointed to in bewilderment were reserved for the regulars who “might show up.” 

The tuxedo-clad waiters were calm, proper, yet aloof. They suffered no consequence for this because Taormina served some of the best Italian food in Manhattan like crispy breaded potato croquettes, perfectly sautéed escarole with sweet roasted garlic and the frothiest zabaglione that may have ever existed. Every dish exploded with flavor.

Here at Taormina, I found a chef who rejected penne vodka, for no tasteless ingredient would be found in this kitchen. Instead Penne Cognac reigned, as a young cognac’s sweet flavor doesn’t escape when the alcohol is burned off. I can still taste the creamy delicate sauce that coated the perfectly al dente pasta. 

Sadly, Taormina closed its doors in 2007, because the rent on Mulberry Street had climbed so high. Only memories of the times spent here remained. My husband and I consistently invited our friends and family to “our place” and we brought our babies to the restaurant weeks after their births to show them off. He begged me to go to Taormina when we found out he was sick. He thought I’d feel better there…savor my Penne Cognac. 

        And for a moment, I did.  

Penne alla Cognac

Serves 4

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup finely chopped shallots

1/2 cup good quality cognac (preferable Hennessy or Courvoisier)

1  28-ounce can of San Marzano tomatoes, blended

3/4 cup whipping cream

1 pound Penne Rigate

Kosher Salt

Fresh basil, chopped

In a medium pot, melt 3 tablespoons butter. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt. Sauté on medium heat until the shallots soften, about 3 minutes. Add the cognac and cook for 3-4 minutes until the alcohol burns off. Add the blended tomatoes and 2 teaspoons of salt. Cover the pot and cook on medium low heat so the sauce slightly simmers for 15 minutes. Add another teaspoon of salt and the whipping cream. When the cream is mixed into sauce, add 3 tablespoons of butter and stir until the butter is incorporated. Shut off the heat and set aside. (Can be made a few days in advance.)

Cook the penne in a large pot of boiling salty water until al dente. Mix the penne with some of the cognac sauce. You will have some reserve. Top generously with Pecorino Romano cheese and chopped basil before serving.