Pasta alla Vodka
By Steve DunnPublished on August 6, 2024
Time
45 minutes
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Before You Begin
Passata is an uncooked tomato puree usually found near the other tomato products in the grocery store; if you’re buying the Pomì brand, it may be labeled “strained tomatoes.” If you cannot find passata, you can use tomato puree. A rasp-style grater makes quick work of turning the garlic into a paste. We prefer rigatoni for this dish, but any short, tubular pasta, such as penne, can be used.
Instructions
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 4 ounces finely chopped pancetta and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until pancetta is golden brown and fond begins to form on bottom of pot, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add 2 minced garlic cloves and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
- Transfer 1 tablespoon vodka to small bowl and set aside.
- Remove Dutch oven from heat and add remaining 7 tablespoons vodka. Return pot to heat and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until vodka is mostly evaporated and fat in pot begins to sizzle, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stir in 2 cups passata, ½ cup heavy cream, ¾ teaspoon table salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and bring to simmer. Adjust heat to maintain gentle simmer.
- Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, to meld flavors, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
- Add 1 pound rigatoni and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and cook, stirring often, until al dente.
- Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta.
- Stir reserved 1 tablespoon vodka into sauce and return pot to low heat.
- Add pasta to sauce and stir until well coated, about 1 minute.
- Add ¼ cup reserved cooking water and stir until sauce looks glossy and fluid, about 1 minute, adjusting consistency with remaining reserved cooking water as needed.
- Serve, passing Parmesan separately.
Time
45 minutesYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
The keys to vodka sauce are balancing the creamy dairy and acidic tomatoes and adding the vodka at the correct time. We found that a 4:1 ratio of passata di pomodoro (Italy's ultrasmooth uncooked tomato puree) to heavy cream was ideal for both texture and flavor. This blend ensured that the bright acidity of the tomatoes shone through while still achieving the luxurious, silky texture for which the dish is famous. Finely minced pancetta undergirded the sauce with meaty savor, and a touch of red pepper flakes added just a whisper of heat. We found it essential to add the vodka in two stages—adding the bulk of the spirit at the beginning of cooking liberated the sauce's alcohol-soluble compounds, dialing up the sauce's flavor, and adding just a tablespoon at the end of cooking lent the dish a subtle kick and warmth. Short, tubular pastas such as rigatoni or penne are ideal for capturing generous amounts of the decadent sauce in each bite.
Want more? Read the whole storyBefore You Begin
Passata is an uncooked tomato puree usually found near the other tomato products in the grocery store; if you’re buying the Pomì brand, it may be labeled “strained tomatoes.” If you cannot find passata, you can use tomato puree. A rasp-style grater makes quick work of turning the garlic into a paste. We prefer rigatoni for this dish, but any short, tubular pasta, such as penne, can be used.
Instructions
- Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add 4 ounces finely chopped pancetta and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until pancetta is golden brown and fond begins to form on bottom of pot, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add 2 minced garlic cloves and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
- Transfer 1 tablespoon vodka to small bowl and set aside.
- Remove Dutch oven from heat and add remaining 7 tablespoons vodka. Return pot to heat and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until vodka is mostly evaporated and fat in pot begins to sizzle, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stir in 2 cups passata, ½ cup heavy cream, ¾ teaspoon table salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper and bring to simmer. Adjust heat to maintain gentle simmer.
- Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, to meld flavors, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.
- Add 1 pound rigatoni and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water and cook, stirring often, until al dente.
- Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta.
- Stir reserved 1 tablespoon vodka into sauce and return pot to low heat.
- Add pasta to sauce and stir until well coated, about 1 minute.
- Add ¼ cup reserved cooking water and stir until sauce looks glossy and fluid, about 1 minute, adjusting consistency with remaining reserved cooking water as needed.
- Serve, passing Parmesan separately.
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