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Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Vodka sauce pasta (Penne alla vodka) (Italian-American)


Vodka sauce pasta (or Pasta alla Rusia as it's sometimes called) is a simple and delicious concoction created by the Italian American cuisine sometime around 1970. The idea is simple: adding vodka to a tomato sauce while it cooks leaves you with a smooth sauce that, although it contains no alcohol - it evaporates during cooking - has an "awakened" touch to its flavor. The vodka brings out notes in the taste of tomato that we couldn't otherwise detect so it intermediates a more intense flavor. 
Besides the vodka, the sauce must also contain a bit of cream for a touch of richness. Another trait is that it's almost always done with penne. Enjoy :)

Last year: another kind of bun in the oven :).



Ingredients (serves 2):
  • 200 g penne (we used wholemeal penne)
  • 200 ml fresh tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • leaves from 1 thyme sprig
  • 30-50 ml vodka
  • 100 ml liquid cream (30 % fat) (at room temperature)
  • salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (we used about 1/2 teaspoon of each)

Boil the pasta according to package instructions. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and add the thyme leaves to it. After 1-2 minutes add the tomato paste:

Stir well. When the tomato paste comes to a boil, add the vodka and continue to cook it, stirring. After 4-5 minutes add the cream:

Mix well and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Add the drained pasta:

Mix well, transfer to serving plates and dig in! :)

2 comments:

  1. YUM this is absolutely my favorite pasta sauce - love the recipe!
    Mary x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Mary, thanks for dropping by. We love this sauce too, and it's so easy to make!

      Delete

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