Vodka Sauce

With the Winter Olympics underway, I've been thinking a lot about how to incorporate this historical event into my recipes.  Obviously, the top answer is by exploring all of the culinary creations other countries have to offer. 

I've been doing quite a bit of research in the last few weeks to prepare, looking into mostly Asian, Mediterranean and Mexican recipes as these are typically the flavors I like most.  However, I didn't want to miss out on anything, so I also looked into recipes that used ingredients I'd either never used or never heard of.

What better way to enhance my palate than during the Olympics, right?

I love me some Italian food and my number one all-time favorite sauce has got to be vodka sauce.  I don't know how vodka sauce came to be since I don't think vodka is a highly prevalent spirit over in Italy.  I'm sure if I had to guess, it's probably something that was conjured up stateside to give our standard blush sauces an extra kick, if you know what I mean.

I don't like my vodka sauces to be overly strong, so this recipe gives you just enough that you know something different is in your food without needing a chaser after every bite.  Also, I know a lot of vodka sauces incorporate wine into the sauce as well, but I keep it out for the sake of making this dish as savory as possible without going overboard on sweetness.  I find that the inclusion of bell peppers actually gives it a faint sweetness anyway.

I use this recipe on pizza, sandwiches and pasta.  It's a great way to experiment with sauce if you're stuck in a pasta rut, and incorporating a little Russian-made vodka into your dinner might help you get into the Olympic "spirit"...

See what I did there?








Vodka Sauce

2 tbsp olive oil
1 white onion, diced
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup top shelf vodka
2 tbsp minced garlic
1/4 cup cream
1 tbsp parsley flakes
1 tbsp dried basil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt & Pepper to taste


Saute garlic, onion and peppers in olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat until peppers are soft and onions become translucent.  Stir in tomatoes, parsley, basil, red pepper flakes, and seasonings.  Cover and simmer on medium-low for 15-20 minutes.

Stir in vodka and cream.  Let simmer for 3-5 more minutes. 

Pour over pasta or into sterilized jars.