This was developed in New York City in 1967 and it became an instant classic. It is usually served with penne pasta, but any short pasta works well, rigatoni is also common.
You might wonder: Why vodka? It has so little flavor, what can it contribute to this rich combination of tomatoes, cream, and cheese? This sauce is a bright tomato sauce with the richness and color from the cream. But cream dulls the tomato, so we need to punch up the flavor. A generous dose of doppio tomato paste helps to attain this worthy goal. Then the vodka seems to brighten it up, to help the acidity of the tomatoes break through the richness of the cream and cheese. You don't see many tradition Italian sauces that include both tomatoes and cream; maybe it was this innovation that opened up a new option.
Here's how to make a sandwich the way they do in New York City Jewish delis. If you can, use calf's tongue in preference to beef tongue, but both are good.
