I’ve had blocks of parmesan in my fridge for months, and massive stockpiles of canned tomatoes since the beginning of the pandemic when we completely lost our minds and started hoarding canned foods, and it was just time to use it all up. I’ve also had this green chile vodka from St. George Distillers for months, and I’ve been wondering how I could incorporate it into some food. Then, the other day, as I was rooting through my spice cabinet for some dinner inspiration, my entire giant bottle of crushed red pepper flakes fell out onto the counter and the top flew off, spraying red pepper all over my kitchen and sending me into a fit of violent sneezing. Suddenly, it hit me: Vodka Sauce!!?
Don’t ask me why, but the smell of the red pepper flakes permeating the air, and the sight of the green chile vodka on my counter flashing before me as I whipped my head toward the sound of spice bottle tinkling from surface to surface all the way to the floor, and the fact that I had already been wondering what I should make with tomatoes - it all just formed an image in my mind of pasta with vodka sauce. I was convinced that, since the sauce is spicy by nature, the chile vodka would compliment it perfectly, but I was apprehensive because I had tasted the vodka on its own and it is clear that it is meant to be used sparingly in cocktails as opposed to being drunk straight from a shot glass (or the bottle, in my case). It has the taste of, well, green chiles, which I find to be kind of an ugly flavor, but when it is simply used as a compliment to tomatoes and cheese, it really shines brightly. In normal vodka sauce, I always wonder why there is even vodka in it because I find the flavor to be completely undetectable, but in this sauce, the green chile undertones sing, so it’s actually a kind of totally different experience than normal vodka sauce, and way better in my opinion. I’m really hoping that St. George comes out with a sun dried tomato vodka that I can use in other recipes, but until then this will be my go-to.
Butter Count: 8 Tbsp
INGREDIENTS:
8 Tbsp, separated
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup St. George Green Chile Vodka
1 (14.5 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup grated parmesan
12 oz uncooked penne pasta
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a large non-stick saucepan, melt 3 Tbsp butter over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are completely translucent.
Add the tomato paste and red pepper flakes. Stir with a rubber spatula until the onions are fully mixed into the tomatoes and the mixture becomes fragrant. Allow it to cook about 2 minutes.
Add the green chile vodka and stir it in, scraping up any bits sticking to the pan, until the mixture is a uniform consistency.
Add the crushed tomatoes and sugar and bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
OPTIONAL: While the mixture is simmering, use an immersion blender to ensure that the tomatoes are fully broken down. I do this because I hate finding tomato skins in my sauce. You could also remove it from the heat completely after 10 minutes and carefully transfer it to a blender, blend until smooth, and then transfer back to the saucepan, returning to a simmer.
While the sauce is simmering, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the packaging instructions to the desired level of doneness. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1 cup of pasta water.
Add the milk, parmesan, and remaining 5 Tbsp of butter to the sauce, and stir until fully incorporated and smooth, and the mixture is beginning to thicken, about two minutes.
OPTIONAL: I usually use an immersion blender again to fully smooth out the sauce at this point.
Add the pasta and reserved pasta water to the sauce and bring back to a simmer. Stirring constantly, cook until the pasta water is no longer separated, and the sauce is fully thickened and sticking to the pasta.