Vodka Sauce...who, when, where, and for God's sake.....Why?

Epicurean Exploits - Food and Recipes
1

From the beginning, I never understood this recipe, nor would I ever take it to be Italian. Vodka is supposed to be a neutral spirit. It always seemed to be to be a tomato cream sauce with a novelty ingredient that brought nothing to the recipe except maybe the flaws of a cheap vodka if that’s what you used.

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rebuttals?

2

Mark, that is an AMAZING site, you could spend weeks there just poking around on the origins of things. thanks

3

adds Umami

4

Alton Brown talks about this. As I recall, there are some flavors in a tomato that are only alcohol soluble and can only be brought out this way.

5

Mark, in a way I agree with your sentiments re: Vodka sauce, BUT unless one has had it done perfectly… and It can be amazing done just right even if it is nuova cucina.

Now lets speak ‘tilapia’… (for BS foods)

6

hmmm…

There seems to be some substance to what Eric says:

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but if that’s the case, any neutral spirit should work, yes?

Must be really good with Everclear!

7

Seems to be more supportive opinion in Chowhound:

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8

I bet Beefeaters works as well.

9

Personally I just almost always use a bit of leftover red wine when I am making a tomato-based sauce. Goodness knows I almost always have some lying around.

10

I’ll try to get the cook in our house to weigh in on this, but we have vodka sauce fairly frequently. I think I could tell the difference in a side-by-side tasting: the vodka sauce will have a certain mellowness to the tomato flavor that the other sauce would lack. It’s almost more about what the vodka removes (sharpness, acidity) than a discussion of what it adds - although Jordan’s comment about umami might be what I’m thinking of, too.

11

If it’s in the freezer and it’s Stoli, it ain’t goin’ in no friggin sauce! [swoon.gif]

12

Mark.Ricca:

I will put down my gravy recipe even though I know it will be subject to intense scrutiny and criticism… > neener

1 spanish onion peeled and medium to small dice

1 full head of fresh garlic, cloves peeled and sliced thin (about 1 cup give or take if you’re using pre-peeled or shudder pre-chopped.

1 cup EVO (cooking quality Bertolli or the like) it’s a lot and when you stir the simmering sauce it will emulsify back in. I like the taste of good olive oil in my gravy.

1/4 cup cup coarse sea salt

1 TBSP crushed red pepper flakes

4 whole bay leaves

1/4 cup dried oregano

1/4 cup+ dried basil (optional, I have fresh now so that’s what I go with)

1/2 cup dry red wine (you know, the one that’s open on the counter)

[welldone.gif]

13

You’d use vodka when you want neutral flavor, no acidity and to bring out alcohol soluble flavors. I often use white wine in tomato sauce because I don’t want the pronounced red grape flavors from red… but even whites add acidity which most tomato sauces don’t need, so I’ve got to have tomatoes with a lot of sweetness.

14

Glad to see you posting Rick, you are missed in Wine Talk.

Otto

15

Thanks Otto. I’ve ratcheted way back on wine collecting over the last 3-4 years. I still open and drink good stuff (2 Chaves and a Sauzet last night with friends) but I’m just not into TNs etc the way I was… and I’ve talked out all the typical wine topics (closures, terroir etc). But it’s nice to check in every once in a while.

16

I hear you my friend. While I’m relatively new to the world of wine enthusiasts, I already feel some signs of deflation when it comes to TN’s. I just wish I had more restraint in my wine purchases, but all the sales are killing me.