Friday, August 3, 2012

Spicy Vodka Sauce

Vodka Sauce

Pasta is something I eat pretty often, but mostly I’ve been content using store-bought sauces. This time, I decided to try to make one of my favorite kinds of sauce from scratch – Vodka Sauce. I was mostly inspired by the fact that I had a huge, mostly full bottle of vodka sitting in the fridge. I wanted to put some of it to a use that wouldn't actually be damaging to my liver, and I was quite pleased with the final result.

Spicy, flavorful, and creamy, vodka sauce goes great with almost any pasta dish, and it’s not even particularly difficult to prepare. I made mine with spaghetti rigati and Juicy Lucy meatballs, and boy was it good!

Recipe adapted from AllRecipes.com

Difficulty: Relatively Easy
Active Prep Time: About 30 minutes
Total Prep Time: About 1½ hours
Special Equipment: None
Serves: 5 - 6

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup vodka
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (Add an extra teaspoon for a spicier sauce)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large clove garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I didn’t have fresh, but parsley flakes worked fine)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 (14 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
  • 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
  • 1 cup heavy cream

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Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, combine vodka and red pepper flakes. Set aside for 1 hour.

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2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

3. Sauté garlic, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper for about 5 minutes.

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4. Pour in vodka mixture, and simmer 10 minutes.

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5. Using a potato masher, crush tomatoes, and stir in with 2 cans of tomato sauce, and 1 cup of water. Simmer 15 minutes.

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6. Stir in 1 cup heavy cream, and cook for another 5 minutes.

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7. Pour generously over a pasta of your choosing and serve hot.

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