Vodka Pasta

This originally came from a Patricia Wells cookbook "Trattoria" but since it entered the regular rotation and I'm more of a dump cook, some things have been lost in translation. This comes together in less than 5 minutes.

2 boxes penne or similarly shaped pasta
olive oil to coat your skillet- about 3 T for my large cast iron one
2-3 cloves garlic, very finely chopped or put through a garlic press
about 1 T crushed red pepper flakes
salt
1 can organic tomato sauce
1 can organic diced tomatoes
1/2 cup vodka
1/2 cup heavy cream
fresh cilantro, washed, leaves roughly chopped (or left whole)

Pour the olive oil in a hot skillet. Add garlic and pepper flakes and saute for a minute, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add a pinch or two of salt then dump in the tomatoes. Heat those until nice and hot then add the vodka. Stir that in well then stir in the cream then the cilantro. Turn off the heat. dip a noodle into the sauce and taste to see if you need more salt. I put the red pepper flakes on the table for the guys in my family since they like it when their food makes them cry. Toss your cooked pasta in the sauce and serve in shallow bowls with crusty bread, a salad, and a big red wine like an old vine zin or a Barolo. Consistently decent cheap (around $10) bottles that go well with this dish: Folie a Deux Menage a Trois and the South African Goats do Roam. Parmesan cheese is really gross on this dish- resist the temptation. Grilled shrimp or sausages are great in it. This recipe feeds 8 with no leftovers.