pasta sauce thread

[Anonymous No.18320283]

Hi /ck/, I've been making alla vodka sauce for a long time and I've varied the recipe a lot, I found that what works best is using simple and high-quality ingredients
Tomato puree, heavy cream, vodka, shallot, pancetta, basil, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes is all I use. High quality ingredients are definitely more important than the number of ingredients you put in. I used to use American bacon in place of pancetta until I realized the flavors are too different, and it doesn't come out as well. Although the meat provides flavor sometimes I skip it all together and use bacon fat instead of olive oil to cook.
Also wanted to hear sauce recipes you use, ingredient recommendations, etc.

[Anonymous No.18320303]

>>18320283
I don't know why I've never made a vodka sauce before. I'm sure it's great. I don't eat a lot of pasta, so I only have a couple. Spicy tomato and basil, and alfredo, are about the extent of what I have up my sleeve. And fresh basil/herbs are 10 times better, if you're unaware.

[Anonymous No.18320308]

>>18320283
I just buy the stuff in a jar it is the same to me

[Anonymous No.18320345]

>>18320283
What's the point of adding vodka, isn't it just ethanol with water

[Anonymous No.18320359]

>>18320345
The internet machine says, it got it's start being sold to discotheque patrons. So the vodka was probably just a reason to get them to buy.

[Anonymous No.18320380]

>>18320345
I would have to guess the ethanol reacts well with all the complex sugars in the tomato to produce a stronger depth of flavor, but thats only if youre using a super high quality tomato sauce with homegrown tomatos on that sweet sweet line of bursting with juice and rotting.

[Anonymous No.18320399]

what's the point of vodka isn't it basically flavorless and will all evaporate away?

[Anonymous No.18320429]

I made penne alla vodka a couple times. Don’t burn the garlic or onions. Sweat them nicely. Keep the sauce at a low simmer. It’s sauce, it won’t kill you to undercook it.

What is in the pic? It’s not parsley

[Anonymous No.18320440]

>>18320345
>>18320399
alcohol doesnt actually all boil out of food, especially when you add a half cup of vodka. I think it helps the non polar flavor molocules mix better with very polar tomato sauce (although im no chemist).

[Anonymous No.18320540]

>>18320440
The justification for cooking tomatoes with olive oil is to make the lycopene pigment digestible. Dunno if that effects flavor.
I add wine or alcohol to everything just in case it does something like that. Plus it makes food more aromatic when it's evaporating. You can smell it when you add it.

[Anonymous No.18320556]

>>18320345
Aroma.
Ethanol can bring out the aroma of many things more clearly. Additionally, the effect on oils by ethanol is also interesting and useful in many cooking applications.

Try making a simple rue on shallots, butter, flour, and milk, but deglaze with vodka before adding the other liquid, and compare that to not doing so. You should notice a difference — whether you prefer the vodka deglazed rue or not.

[Anonymous No.18320715]

>>18320345
>>18320399
In addition to what other anons said, it deglazes the pan, making a very flavorful oil that you then add the tomatoes to

[Anonymous No.18321332]

>>18320556
>rue