{"id":118201,"date":"2023-08-22T01:29:12","date_gmt":"2023-08-22T01:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lasixlineon.com\/?p=118201"},"modified":"2023-08-22T01:29:12","modified_gmt":"2023-08-22T01:29:12","slug":"what-makes-penne-alla-vodka-so-delicious-its-all-in-the-sauce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lasixlineon.com\/world-news\/what-makes-penne-alla-vodka-so-delicious-its-all-in-the-sauce\/","title":{"rendered":"What makes penne alla vodka so delicious? Its all in the sauce."},"content":{"rendered":"

By Eric Kim<\/strong>, The New York Times<\/em><\/p>\n

In the 1980s, long before he became a New York chef, a young Iacopo Falai lived across the hall from a hip uncle who sometimes made penne alla vodka for dinner. The combination of tomato, cream and chile wasn\u2019t traditional by any means, especially in Florence, Italy, where he lived, but his uncle was a travel-loving caterer who introduced Falai to a world of foods.<\/p>\n

He had a particular point, Falai said: It doesn\u2019t matter where a dish is made, as long as it\u2019s delicious.<\/p>\n

Some might assume that penne alla vodka is an ancient Roman pasta, but it gained popularity only in the 1970s and \u201980s. The documentary \u201cDisco Sauce: The Unbelievable True Story of Penne Alla Vodka\u201d explores the dish\u2019s many origin stories, from Italy to the United States, but none are definitive.<\/p>\n

One of the first written accounts of vodka in creamy tomato pasta comes from the 1974 cookbook and memoir \u201cL\u2019Abbuffone\u201d (later translated to English as \u201cThe Injester\u201d). In it, Italian actor Ugo Tognazzi has a recipe for pasta all\u2019infuriata, \u201cfurious pasta,\u201d essentially a pasta all\u2019arrabbiata with a splash of Polish chile-vodka.<\/p>\n

In cooking, especially in penne alla vodka, deglazing a pan with liquor has many powers. Wine works, too, but a clean-tasting vodka has mostly water and ethanol (a solvent), which is excellent at carrying aromatic compounds — like those in tomatoes. In other words, the vodka in this dish can help you smell, and in turn taste, the sauce\u2019s flavors in a heightened way.<\/p>\n

According to the Journal of Food Science, the ethanol also helps more evenly disperse the fat, keeping the emulsified sauce bound, glossy and creamy.<\/p>\n

So if you wish to taste the full impact of pork fat, red-pepper flakes and brick-red tomato paste blushed with cream, add a little vodka to your sauce (or a lot, as this recipe calls for). It\u2019ll help you taste everything even more. But remember: Even vodka that has been cooked down, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, retains some of its alcohol content after as long as an hour.<\/p>\n

In this recipe, the ricotta serving suggestion is inspired by the pappa al pomodoro, a bread-thickened tomato soup, at the now closed Caffe Falai in Manhattan. There, dollops of ricotta lent coolness both in temperature and in flavor — relief between bites of bold savoriness.<\/p>\n

Vodka sauce became a source of comfort for Falai, even years later as the culinary director for SA Hospitality Group (Casa Lever, Sant Ambroeus, Felice). Recently in Milan, Falai made his own take on penne alla vodka for his staff.<\/p>\n

The vodka in that sauce lent a \u201clightness of acidity,\u201d Falai said. It might not be an Italian ingredient, but at least it\u2019s delicious.<\/p>\n

Recipe: Ricotta Pasta Alla Vodka<\/h4>\n

By Eric Kim<\/p>\n

In a 1974 cookbook, Italian actor Ugo Tognazzi published a recipe for pasta all\u2019infuriata, <\/i>\u201c<\/i>furious pasta,\u201d<\/i> a chile-vodka-spiked tomato number. It\u2019s one of the first written accounts of vodka in pasta. The alcohol is said to help fat disperse more evenly, keeping the sauce emulsion glossy and creamy, and to help you smell, and in turn taste, the sauce\u2019s flavors in a heightened way. The ricotta serving suggestion draws inspiration from the creamy tomato soup with three dollops of cool, sweet ricotta on top from the now-closed Caffe Falai in Manhattan. The ricotta lends coolness both in temperature and in flavor, offering relief between bites of spicy booziness.<\/i><\/p>\n

Yield:<\/strong> 4 to 6 servings<\/p>\n

Total time:<\/strong> 30 minutes<\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/strong><\/p>\n