Have you ever made pasta with vodka sauce? It’s a velvety creamy tomato sauce that happens to be cooked with a splash of vodka, which remarkably makes this simple sauce taste simply sublime.
Typically pasta alla vodka is made with penne pasta. For this version we are adding in some fresh shrimp, to make the dish more of a main course, and using fettuccine pasta. We’ve also added a touch of lemon zest because it works with so well with shrimp, and along with the vodka helps brighten this creamy sauce.
So, why the vodka? According to Kenji Lopez-Alt at Serious Eats, quoting Harold McGee, low concentrations of alcohol enhance flavor aromas. Kenji did a full on test of vodka sauces at various concentrations of vodka and determined that yes, adding vodka does make a difference.
That said, it isn’t absolutely necessary. You’ll still have a lovely sauce without it. So if no alcohol is how you roll, just leave out the vodka and enjoy this shrimp fettuccine with a creamy tomato sauce.
Shrimp Pasta alla Vodka Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fettuccine pasta
- Salt
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
- 4 cloves garlic, minced, about 4 teaspoons
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup vodka
- 6 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 pound peeled, deveined raw shrimp
- 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- Freshly ground black pepper
Read More: Shrimp Pasta alla Vodka
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