The challenge was to make something with alcohol as an ingredient. So I started with a penne ala vodka sauce (made with vodka, remarkably combines tomato and cream). i got these pre-made shells, and combined

• some darkly browned ground beef

• some toasted chopped walnut

• some pesto

• some of the penne ala vodka sauce

• some mozarella cheese

  i then microplaned some hard cheese on top, and ground some pepper. 425 for 12 minutes.

  It’s a fussy set of ingredients, but remarkably, all of them are distinct and tasty even in the small amounts that fit in the shell.

  The pic is from a test run where I tried different combinations and proportions. The best shells had all the fillings, and the specific order in which they were layered didn’t make much difference. It’s a pretty easy appetizer to put together once you have all the components.