Simplicity never tasted so good
Food that is both simple and delicious is hard to come by. Dishes created with minimal ingredients that are also very easy to make are even more rare.
Pasta a la Vodka has it all.
I’m making this dish tonight (Thursday), and I can hardly wait.
The recipe on my blog for Pasta a la Vodka involves whole plum tomatoes, and while very delicious, is not nearly as easy. When I wrote that recipe I kept reading about how vodka sauce was made with only tomato paste, and I just couldn’t bring myself to buy into that idea. That is, until one night, a pasta craving struck and all I had in the pantry was tomato paste.
Since then, I’ve been so hooked I haven’t looked back! I jotted down a vague “recipe” (more an order of operations) that I’ve fleshed out a bit for you below, but please reply directly to this email with questions.
Sauté 4-5 minced garlic cloves in a generous amount of butter and olive oil over medium-low heat. Add 1.25 tubes of tomato paste and cook, stirring, until slightly caramelized (darkened in color.)
Meanwhile, cook pasta and reserve 2 cups of well-salted pasta water.
Add pasta water to the tomato paste until the paste is loosened but still thick. Add 1 cup of vodka. Let simmer away, covered with a splatter screen until the vodka has cooked off (I went off taste and smell, but this probably takes about 20-30 minutes.)
Add heavy cream to taste, tempering cream on a hot spoon (stir the sauce with a spoon so it’s hot, then lift it an inch or two over the sauce and pour the cream onto it so it dribbles down into the sauce, being heated on the way. Pour a little at a time, stirring between additions.) Stir until color is uniform. Add more pasta water if needed to thin. Toss with pasta!
A few recipe notes:
I use tomato paste in a tube because I like that it’s resealable. It’s also double concentrated. I am certain this recipe can be made with canned tomato paste, and it’s okay to wing the quantity of the paste (and everything else.)
A splatter screen is your best stovetop defense for this recipe because this sauce WILL be splattering. I make my sauce in a shallow and wide sauté pan, so the spatters are especially prone to escaping. If you don’t have a splatter screen, don’t sweat it, make the sauce in a pot with higher sides instead. (Oh, and wear an apron either way!)
Topping the pasta with parmesan and basil is optional but recommended ::saucy wink::
Wishing you peace, comfort, and joy,
Kiya