Nichol's Vodka Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/4 c. olive oil
- 2 1/2 c. chopped Spanish onion (or whatever you have on hand)
- 1 Tbs. garlic (about 3 cloves)
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (more or less depending on how spicy you like it)
- 1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 c. vodka anyone worried about using vodka for cooking, cooking wine works great
- 2 (28-oz.) cans whole peeled plum tomatoes, drained
- 3/4 lb. penne pasta
- 2 Tbs. chopped fresh oregano leaves (I don't often have this, darn it, and although it's definitely better with it, it's also fine without
- 1 c. heavy cream
- 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I often omit this as well if I don't have it on hand)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
- Heat the oil and saute onions and garlic over medium heat until onions are translucent (about 5 minutes).
- Add the red pepper flakes and dried oregano and cook for a minute or so more.
- Add the vodka or cooking wine and simmer for 5-7 minutes to let the flavors seep in.
- Using clean hands, crush each tomato from the can into the pan. (Extra fun for kids to crush food with their bare hands :)
- Add 2 tsp. of salt and 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- Bake this mixture in the oven to let the flavors deepen. You're supposed to do this in an oven-proof pot (see below, as well as my initial substitute).
- Bake at 375 degrees for an hour and a half. That's an awful lot of time that sometimes I have, and sometimes I don't. But do your best and it still works out fine!
- While it is cooking, cook the pasta according to package directions and set aside.
- Once the pasta is cooked, blend that cooked tomato mixture in the blender. Or use an immersion blender (see notes below).
- Add the blended mixture back to the pot.
- Add the heavy cream, fresh oregano, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper and simmer for a few minutes.
- Then you're ready to serve it up! The recipe calls to pour the sauce over the pasta, add parmesan cheese and a little more fresh oregano to garnish if you have them.
Notes
Some notes on baking the sauce in the oven. You're supposed to use a pot like this:
But I didn't have that for years. I used this concoction: a casserole dish on top of a cookie sheet:
Covered with tinfoil:
And honestly it worked just fine.
But I didn't have that for years. I used this concoction: a casserole dish on top of a cookie sheet:
Covered with tinfoil:
And honestly it worked just fine.