Thursday, April 29, 2010

Feeling Saucy...Penne a la Vodka
























There is this magic thing that happens in cooking when we combine certain ingredients. I refer to them as “food marriages made in heaven” like hazelnut & chocolate, grapefruit & brown sugar, pears & blue cheese, or dates & bacon. On there own these ingredients are good, even fantastic at times but when combined, the ingredients bring out the best in each other and become something mouthwatering and evocative.

Vodka sauce is a very curious recipe for the simple fact that vodka doesn’t really have a flavor, yet when a small amount is added to a tomato sauce such interesting things happen. The tomatoes are actually liberated by the alcohol, making the tomatoes taste, well, more…tomatoey.


Isn't it kind of funny that its called vodka sauce when you can't really taste the vodka. In some restaurants they call it pink sauce, but on the whole I think guys are more inclined to order the vodka sauce over the penne a la pink sauce! While Vodka and tomato are hardly a new combination, they are much loved brunch staple (bloody mary's mmm), and penne alla vodka is favorite order at italian restaurants. But people rarely prepare this dish at home without using the usually mediocre vodka sauce found in a jar, because most simply they don't know how to make it.


This dish is surprisingly simple - creamy and delicious. And I was surprised by how easy it is to make. I really enjoy the subtle smokiness the crisp pancetta brings and I believe it adds a little extra richness to the dish, which allows me to dial back the cream.



Check out my quick youtube video and I'll take you through all the steps to make this deliciously simple dish!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xIOMQnXY8I


Enjoy,


Chow Bella