Bring a large pot of salted water to boil while you prepare the sauce, below.

Heat a large ,stainless steel saucepan over medium heat, and add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Reserve the remaining butter in the refrigerator for step 7.

Add the diced onions to the saucepan and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are completely translucent but not brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside, returning pan back to the heat.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, crushed garlic, and tomato paste to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, for two minutes, until the garlic is fragrant and the tomato paste has darkened slightly. Stir in the hot chili peppers and cook for two to three additional minutes.

Add the vodka to the pan and scrape up the browned bits.

Once the vodka has mostly evaporated, add the onions back to the pan along with the crushed tomatoes, whole basil leaves, and cream, and reduce heat to medium low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15-20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened. Remove and discard the whole basil leaves and crushed garlic.

At this stage, you may use a blender or immersion blender to puree the sauce for a smoother consistency, if desired.

Reduce the heat to low, and let the sauce continue to simmer while you cook the Colavita Roman Rigatoni in the large pot of boiling water.