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    The Best Vodka Sauce Recipe

    March 10, 2018 by admin 8 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    The Best Vodka Sauce Recipe

    The Williams Sonoma Essentials of Italian cookbook states that it was invented in the 1980s by a Roman chef for a vodka company that wanted to popularize its product in Italy.

    Along with the penne pasta, this dish generally contains cream sauce mixed with tomatoes or red sauce, which are a combination unusual in Italian cooking because the acidity of the tomatoes tends to make the oil in the cream separate. 

    Why Add Vodka?

    The vodka is an emulsifier, allowing the water and lipids to remain mixed. Vodka is also thought to release certain flavors from the tomato that would otherwise be inaccessible.

    INGREDIENTS

    • Kosher salt

    INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Fill a stockpot or other large pot three-quarters full with water and heat over high. Toss in a handful of salt and bring to a boil while you do your other prep.
    2. Peel and finely chop 1 onion.
    3. Firmly smash 4 garlic cloves with the flat side of a chef’s knife and remove the peel.
    4.  Grate 4 oz. Parmesan on the smallest holes of the box grater.
    5. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a Dutch oven over medium (position it next to the pot of water). Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, just until onion is starting to brown around the edges, 5–7 minutes.
    6.  Add entire 4.5-oz. tube tomato paste and ½ tsp. red pepper flakes and stir until paste evenly coats onion. Continue to cook, stirring often, until paste is deep red and starting to brown on the bottom of the pot, 5–7 minutes.
    7.  Add 2 oz. vodka to deglaze the pan and stir to incorporate, scraping the bottom of the pot. Reduce heat to low.
    8. Using a heatproof glass measuring cup, scoop about ¼ cup boiling water from the pot, then add ¾ cup heavy cream to measuring cup (this brings up the temperature of the cream so it won’t break when you add it to the pot).
    9. Slowly add warmed cream to Dutch oven, constantly stirring, until a smooth sauce forms. Remove from heat.
    10.  Add 1 lb. penne to the pot of boiling salted water and cook according to package instructions until al dente. About 1 minute before the timer goes off, use a heatproof measuring cup to scoop up about 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Heat Dutch oven over low.
    11. Using a spider, transfer rigatoni to Dutch oven along with any water that’s piggybacking on the pasta.
    12.  Add ½ cup pasta cooking liquid to Dutch oven and stir to incorporate, then gradually add half of Parmesan, constantly stirring to melt the cheese. You should have a smooth, glossy sauce that coats each piece of pasta. Season with salt and add a splash more pasta cooking liquid to thin sauce, if needed.
    13. Divide pasta among bowls. Top with remaining cheese, dividing evenly. Drizzle with more oil, then tear basil leaves over.

    VODKA SAUCE RECIPE

    Cooking with Spirits test Kitchen
    Print Recipe

    Ingredients
      

    • Kosher salt
    • 1 medium onion
    • 4 garlic cloves
    • 4 oz. Parmesan cheese
    • 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
    • 1 4.5- oz. tube double-concentrated tomato paste
    • ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
    • 2 oz. vodka
    • ¾ cup heavy cream
    • 1 lb. Penne
    • Basil leaves for serving

    Instructions
     

    • Fill a stock pot or other large pot three-quarters full with water and heat over high. Toss in a handful of salt and bring to a boil while you do your other prep.
    • Peel and finely chop 1 onion.
    • Firmly smash 4 garlic cloves with the flat side of a chef’s knife and remove peel.
    •  Grate 4 oz. Parmesan on the smallest holes of the box grater.
    • Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a Dutch oven over medium (position it next to pot of water). Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, just until onion is starting to brown around the edges, 5–7 minutes.
    •  Add entire 4.5-oz. tube tomato paste and ½ tsp. red pepper flakes and stir until paste evenly coats onion. Continue to cook, stirring often, until paste is deep red and starting to brown on bottom of pot, 5–7 minutes.
    •  Add 2 oz. vodka to deglaze pan and stir to incorporate, scraping bottom of pot. Reduce heat to low.
    • Using a heatproof glass measuring cup, scoop about ¼ cup boiling water from pot, then add ¾ cup heavy cream to measuring cup (this brings up the temperature of the cream so it won’t break when you add it to the pot).
    • Slowly add warmed cream to Dutch oven, stirring constantly, until a smooth sauce forms. Remove from heat.
    •  Add 1 lb. penne to pot of boiling salted water and cook according to package instructions until al dente. About 1 minute before the timer goes off, use heatproof measuring cup to scoop up about 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Heat Dutch oven over low.
    • Using a spider, transfer rigatoni to Dutch oven along with any water that’s piggybacking on the pasta.
    •  Add ½ cup pasta cooking liquid to Dutch oven and stir to incorporate, then gradually add half of Parmesan, stirring constantly to melt cheese. You should have a smooth, glossy sauce that coats each piece of pasta. Season with salt and add a splash more pasta cooking liquid to thin sauce, if needed.
    • Divide pasta among bowls. Top with remaining cheese, dividing evenly. Drizzle with more oil, then tear basil leaves over.
    One of the best homemade pasta sauces ever, hands down. Who knew a little onion, tomato paste, and cream could create such big flavor.

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    Filed Under: Meatles, Pasta, Recipes, Sauces

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Stephanie

      August 29, 2019 at 6:51 pm

      Yep, I have all of this in the kitchen right now. My husband was just asking me what's for dinner tonight and I think I just found it!

      Reply
    2. Lina

      August 30, 2019 at 12:59 am

      Wow I didn’t know how good vodka could be in a recipe! I’ll try this for my next recipe

      Reply
    3. Angela Tolsma

      August 30, 2019 at 7:17 am

      Oooh this sounds delicious. I have bought vodka sauce but never made my own. I should definitely change that!

      Reply
    4. Flossie McCowald

      August 31, 2019 at 1:11 am

      I've heard of vodka sauces before, but had no idea how they worked or why the vodka was a key ingredient. Now I totally want to try this!

      Reply
    5. David Elliott

      August 31, 2019 at 2:15 pm

      Vodka sauces really are delicious. It is one of my favorites to add when it comes to pasta. So many different things you can do with pasts when you add it. Never made it at home though. Will have to try this recipe out. It looks great.

      Reply
    6. Natural Beauty And Makeup

      August 31, 2019 at 4:28 pm

      Wow, this looks super interesting! I didn't know that we can use vodka in a sauce recipe , great! Will try out this recipe soon ☺

      Reply
    7. pooja Malkani

      September 01, 2019 at 3:43 pm

      I wasn't aware of the vodka sauce! This is such a great piece of information. I hardly cook at home now but will share this with my husband. He always love to experiment and this is a great recipe for him for this weekend

      Reply
    8. Jasmine Watts

      September 02, 2019 at 7:11 pm

      I have tried adding vodka in making a sauce. I would love to give this a try!

      Reply

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