MY VODKA SAUCE RECIPE
Ingredients: (note: I usually buy a bit more than I need…better safe than sorry)
Quick note: All spices listed below are approximations. Please adjust to your own tastes. For example, if you don’t like garlic, use less, etc etc. If you have no idea what your tastes are, then my suggestion is to stop right now and go get yourself a Big Mac. Leave the cooking to the big boys and girls.
– 1 tablespoon Butter
– 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
– 1 heaping tablespoon of minced Garlic
– 1 cup of Heavy Cream
– 2 15-ounce cans of Tomato Sauce
– 1 6oz can of Tomato Paste
– 3 or 4 fresh Basil Leaves (finely chopped, minced, or torn to shreds)
– ~5 ounces (total) of grated Parmesan and Romano cheese.
– 1/4 cup of Vodka (Note: if you can’t have vodka for whatever reason or you don’t have any, you can substitute Gin without affecting the flavor of this recipe. Trust me, I’ve done it. It works)
Additional Spices:
– Garlic Powder
– Onion powder
– Salt
– Pepper
– Hot Sauce (generic Frank’s or Tabasco hot sauce tends to work just fine)
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Time to Cook: under an hour
Another note: the time to make this sauce is almost a perfect match for the time it’ll take to make a pound of pasta. I’d recommend starting them at the same time.
Makes enough to literally drown a pound of pasta if you’re like me and like plenty of extra sauce to mop up with garlic bread. However, if not, then easily makes enough for a pound and a half.
Directions:
In a medium sized sauce pan add the Olive Oil, Butter, Garlic, and Basil. Turn on stove to a medium flame. As the butter melts, stir to combine into slurry of sorts. Add in a generous coating of Pepper, a pinch of Salt, and a coating of Onion Powder.
One it’s heated and mixed (you’ll smell it…and it’s a GOOD smell), add the vodka.
Reduce by about half until it thickens up a bit.
Add the Heavy Cream.
Stir until fully mixed. Reduce heat and bring it just to a boil, but not much more.
Add 1 can of Tomato Sauce. Stir until it’s completely mixed in. Repeat with the second can.
Here’s where you’ll want to start spicing things up a bit. As you mix it together and it heats up, perform a few tastes tests.
Typically what I would add at this point are:
– More pepper…usually a generous portion.
= Another pinch of Salt
– Garlic Powder if needed
= A couple of drops of hot sauce.
By this point it should start bubbling. From here on out you’ll want to mix CONSTANTLY. Failure to do so will burn your sauce.
Test for thickness. If your sauce is a little watery, add about half of the Tomato Paste (about 3 oz).
Stir until the Paste is thoroughly mixed in. This should thicken the sauce slightly.
Next start adding in the Grated Cheese. Add about half, then stir in until it’s melted. Repeat with the rest.
If done correctly your sauce should be a pinkish / orange color and should be nice and thick. Turn off the heat and finish whatever the rest of your meal will include.
Goes good with Penne, Ziti, even Spaghetti. Garlic bread makes a hell of a side too for it.
When you’re finished, you can refrigerate for a few days and then just nuke it to your heart’s content.
BONUS RECIPE IDEA:
If you reverse the proportions of the sauce and cream (1 can of sauce vs 2 cups of heavy cream) and then go extra heavy with the spices and hot sauce, it’ll also make a hell of a Rattlesnake Pasta.
