Friday, December 11, 2009

Vodka Sauce

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Another recipe I’ve been wanting to try for ages! It was my favorite in my favorite Italian restaurant in Madrid, and I found a bottled dressing that was quite tasty (Newman’s, I think) at home (and another, Trader Joe’s brand, that was horrible)…but I had never made it myself. The cream scared me off for a while. But a year in Argentina has done wonders to change my perception of cream, so it was time!

Ingredients

· 1 quart tomato sauce, or store-bought marinara sauce

· 1 cup vodka

· 1/2 cup cream, at room temperature

· 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

· 1 pound pasta (I used spaghetti)

Directions

1. Simmer the tomato sauce and vodka in a heavy large skillet over low heat until the mixture reduces by 1/4, stirring often, about 20 minutes.

2. Stir the cream into the tomato and vodka sauce. Simmer over low heat until the sauce is heated through.

3. Stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and well blended.

4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and transfer it to the pan with the sauce, and toss to coat.

Comments: This was awesome in the pot and when I dipped my bean balls in, but pouring it over pasta made it very watery. I think next time I’ll reduce the vodka a bit, as it was still very alcohol-y tasting, which will reduce some of the liquid, and then make sure to simmer it down so it’s a bit thicker. I also didn’t use very much parmesan, as the recipe was already fairly indulgent. This would be great for company and special occasions.

1 comment:

  1. I feel ya with the cream. Not long ago, I couldn't stomach plain cream on top of pasta, but now I crave it with a ton of grated cheese. I love the following recipe for vodka sauce. You could replace the canned and pureed tomatoes with your tomato sauce. Happy eating!

    http://adomesticdisturbance.blogspot.com/2008/11/vegetarian-penne-alla-vodka.html

    ReplyDelete