Yes, you will very likely think I have lost my marbles, which could be true since as I kid I often lost them. But I am perfectly sane when I urge you to try this! I am not a big fan of alcohol and really don’t like the flavour of vodka. But the alcohol pretty much all evaporates and there is no hint of the taste of vodka left. Instead you are left with a very rich and creamy tomato sauce. It’s a trick which is well known in parts of Italy. And who would I be to question Italians when it comes to pasta sauces?
You can leave out the bacon to make it vegetarian. Personally I like the little umami in there but it isn’t fully necessary, especially not if you substitute baked mushrooms for the broccoli.
Ingredients:
- 250gr broccoli
- 75gr bacon/pancetta cubes
- 2 tbs tomato puree
- 100ml water
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 125ml cooking cream, 15% fat
- 1 tbs vodka
- salt/pepper
- 75gr pasta
Serves 1 as part of the Budget Challenge
Recipe:
Cut the broccoli into florets and the stem into 1cm cubes.
Bake the bacon cubes in a frying pan until somewhat crisp. Add the tomato puree, water and dried parsley, stir well and the stir in the broccoli. Simmer for 6 minutes to soften the broccoli.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of water according to packet instructions. Drain when cooked al dente.
Add the cream and vodka to the frying pan. Simmer for about 1.5 minutes to thicken the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then stir in the pasta.