Cuisinart Hand Immersion Blender
- Le Creuset Pot
- Dreamy Creamy Penne with Vodka Sauce
- Vodka Sauce Ingredients
This is what I’m dreaming about today: vodka sauce over pasta. You can add shrimp, sausage, chicken, meatballs…whatever you like. Or, keep it vegetarian and just use pasta. I’ve played around with this sauce a few ways. I prefer to start with whole plum tomatoes in the can with their juices. I use an immersion blender stick to blend the ingredients along the way and reach that perfect, creamy consistency that vodka sauce is known for. The stick radically changes your life since you don’t have to pour hot liquid into a blender. It’s worth the investment. However, if you don’t have one, you can use the blender. Just wait until sauce is cool before pouring it into the glass blender. This is a tasty delicious sauce slow-cooked in the oven rather than all on stove top. I woke up today thinking about the next thing I am going to cook and this was it. Dreaming about dreamy creamy vodka sauce…
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium spanish onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, diced
Crushed red pepper flakes (Joel and I like our food hot so I use 1/2 tsp but if you don’t like the heat, use less)
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 cup vodka
2 28 oz cans whole San Marzano-type tomatoes peeled with juices
3/4-1 cup heavy cream (check consistency as you go to determine exact amount)
Grated parmesan cheese (as always, freshly grated is best)
1 box penne pasta (you can also use rigatoni or whatever macaroni you like)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Heat the olive oil in a large, oven proof pot (Le Creuset was made for this) over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook for about five minutes or until translucent. (Don’t burn the garlic.) Add the red pepper flakes, dried oregano and vodka and continue cooking until the liquid is reduced by about 1/2. Add the 2 cans of tomatoes with their juices. Add 1 tsp kosher salt and a little bit (a pinch) of black pepper. Take a fork and crush up the tomatoes before putting the sauce in the oven. You will be using a blender or blending stick later, so don’t worry if they’re not completely chopped up beforehand. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and place it in the oven for at least 1 hour (you can leave it for 90 minutes if you have the time.) Remove the pot and let it cool for about 15 minutes. This is where the wonderful Le Creuset pots come in handy. They are perfect for oven to table and you can use an immersion blender right in the pot.
Cook pasta according to box directions.
Once sauce is cooled down, I use the immersion blender stick and bring the sauce to a smooth consistency. If you don’t have the stick, use a blender and do it in batches. Once the sauce is smooth, reheat it and add heavy cream. Start slowly with the cream and mix until it gets to a creamy consistency. This will be between 3/4 to 1 cup. You can be the judge of how much cream to use. (There is a certain look to vodka sauce that you want to achieve. You know it!) Taste for salt, pepper and seasonings. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve over pasta with freshly grated parmesan cheese. I plated the pasta and put sauce on top individually so I could freeze the extra sauce without the pasta to use another time.
*This is delicious with Italian sausage, chicken or shrimp added. This time, I actually added my Real Deal Meatballs (recipe coming soon!)
Cooking with Candi 