Vodka Sauce with your Favourite Pasta

This sauce is a little beauty. It elevates your favourite pasta dish to something with a sophisticated edge. It’s also simple to make and doesn’t take too long to prepare either. It’s perfect for date night at home or creating something special for your close group of friends.

Equipment

• Frying pan (30cm base)

• Chopping knife

• Wooden spoon

• Cheese grater

• Shot glass

Ingredients

• Olive oil (regular, not virgin)

• 1x brown onion

• 6x cloves of garlic

• Chilli flakes (about 2 pinches worth)

• Chilli oil (about a tablespoon)

• 130g of double concentrated tomato paste (you can use the ‘Mutti’ brand)

• 3x shots of vodka

• 300ml thickened cream

• Salt and pepper

• Parmesan cheese

• Small bunch of fresh basil

Method

Preparing the ingredients

1. Dice the onion.

2. Finely chop the garlic.

3. Finely grate the Parmesan cheese.

4. Take the cream out of the fridge; it’s better to use as close to room temperature as possible.

Making the sauce

1. Heat the oil up in the pan. Sweat out the onion, garlic, chilli flakes and chilli oil on a medium heat for about 10 minutes or until the onions are soft and translucent.

2. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine everything. Cook for about 3 minutes so the mix is a deep red in colour.

3. Add the vodka to deglaze the pan and stir well to properly incorporate. Continue to cook so the vodka reduces in the pan and all the alcohol evaporates. When the mixture looks like there is no vodka, turn the heat low.

4. [Boil your favourite pasta here for perfect timing!]

5. Slowly add cream to the sauce, stirring constantly until smooth. I usually take the pan off the heat completely at the start so that the cream does not split. Continue to add a bit of cream at a time and stir over low heat until all the cream is used. You should end up with a creamy orange colour.

6. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If you want a bit more kick, add a bit more chilli flakes.

Finishing in the pan

1. Transfer your cooked pasta (al dente) to finish it off in the sauce pan. I normally add about a quarter of a cup of the pasta water as well and cook the sauce, pasta and pasta water until the pasta water reduces and emulsifies.

Plating up

1. Add the saucy pasta to your favourite dish.

2. Scoop some of the extra sauce onto the top of your pasta.

3. Sprinkle some of the finely grated cheese over the pasta.

4. Add a 2 or 3 basil leaves to the top of your dish.

5. Final crack of pepper over the top.

Enjoy!