Pasta Alla Vodka
A 15-minute pasta dish for the tired and hungry who crave speed and comfort with a side of pazazz
On a dark Tuesday night at my local community-centre yoga class a few weeks back, the teacher Amy checked in mid-way through warrior 2: ‘How’s everyone doing?’ she asked. ‘Ooof doesn’t it feel like we’re wading through mud today, what’s going on?’
An empathetic sigh/grunt was released by class members, along with friendly recognition that AT LEAST we were trudging in the mud together. Only 30 minutes to go until we could all have a lie-down in savasana and get a cheeky 5-minute shut-eye.
I don’t know about you, but catching up with friends at the moment, it feels like we’re all shattered. Happy, grateful and OK, but shattered. I spoke to one friend yesterday who agreed that October felt like a month we were just-about clinging on to, rather than celebrating. Our camera rolls weren’t filled with nearly enough images of pub roasts, homemade-soups, golden-coloured leaves and belly-laughing loved ones. There simply weren’t enough hours in the day - we were officially in our knackered-era.
We vowed to change for the month of November and decided that plans didn’t have to be fancy, they just had to sometimes not involve work or x, y, or z. Said plans had to be FUN, for us, and as much as possible, involve eating things delicious.
With that in mind, this is the kind of recipe that I’ll be making lots of - a rich, creamy and comforting 15-minute pasta dish with hefty side of pazazz. Thanks to the addition of vodka and cream it feels celebratory enough to serve to friends at the weekend in this busy run up to the end of the year, yet it requires (almost) no effort at all. Giving you more time to relax! And maybe for a group nap.
Pasta Alla Vodka has long-been a loved recipe, gaining popularity in the 70’s and 80’s, but this one has a few changes to make it lower FODMAP, including fresh green spring onion tops and my favourite addition, balsamic vinegar, which is absolutely not traditional but gives that sweet, dark tang you might have before missed from the lack of onion or shallots.
Most of the alcohol in the vodka is cooked out during the cooking process, so like the balsamic vinegar, you don’t really taste it, it simply lifts, balances and helps to emulsify the creamy, tomatoey sauce, turning it glossy, velvety and into something you want to eat by the spoonful.
It has just a hint of chilli (recipe notes below) and is best served with a showering of parmesan and some freshly ground black pepper.
Enjoy,
Emma x
And for extras
For paid subscribers this week there’s a recipe for Pumpkin Gnocchi Alla Vodka, an autumnal twist on this pasta recipe that showcases a GREAT way to use up the ends of a tin of pumpkin puree - or any Halloween pumpkin leftovers for that matter. Gnocchi makes an extra-comforting switch from pasta, the ridges in the pillowy little dumplings prime for holding on to the rich, creamy and even brighter orange sauce. You can click here to join in and for the recipe - dare I say it: GOURD it's good.
Pasta Alla Vodka - the recipe
Serves 4
15 minutes
I’m conscious chilli can be a trigger for some of us folks with sensitive guts, so as always, adjust the heat to suit you. If I need to go easy on any given day and I’m cooking for others, I’ll warm a few extra teaspoons of chilli flakes in olive oil, tip them into a little bowl and place it on the table, so that spice-loving friends can help themselves.
2 tablespoons olive oil AND
2 garlic cloves pickled in vinegar, crushed
ORÂ
2 tablespoons garlic-infused olive oilÂ
¼ - ½ teaspoon chilli flakes
4 spring onions, green tops only, finely sliced
90g/6 tablespoons tomato purée
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
90ml/6 tablespoons vodka
120ml lactose-free cream
350-400g gluten-free rigatoni pasta
60g grated Parmesan, plus extra to serve (or a vegetarian alternative)
Handful of basil leaves, to serve
Freshly ground black pepper
Add the olive oil or garlic-infused olive oil, depending on which you’re using, to a shallow saucepan and place over a medium heat. Once hot and glossy, add in the crushed pickled garlic cloves (again, if using), the green spring onion tops and the chilli flakes. Cook for a few minutes, stirring often, until the spring onion tops have softened.
Squeeze in the tomato puree and cook for another 2 minutes, before adding in the balsamic vinegar. Let the vinegar cook down for a minute, then add in the vodka. The sauce will bubble and start to turn velvety - let it cook for another 3-4 minutes, moving it around the pan to make sure it doesn’t catch. Stir through the cream and turn off the heat.
Tip the pasta to a large saucepan of boiling salted water and cook to packet instructions. Reserve a mug of the cooking water, then drain.
Add a splash of the reserved cooking water to the tomato sauce, then tip in the pasta and add the parmesan cheese along with a generous grind of black pepper. Toss everything together over a low heat until the pasta is generously coated and the sauce glossy. Add more of the cooking water if you think it needs it. Spoon onto plates and top with more Parmesan, basil leaves and a little more black pepper.
All things FODMAP - 1 clove of garlic, pickled in vinegar and drained has been recently tested to be low in FODMAPs by Monash (the founders of the diet) and should be tolerated by most of us sensitive gut folk. This recipe suggests including 2 pickled cloves, which add warmth and depth - but you can skip them altogether if you’d like, or alternatively as mentioned, use a garlic-infused oil. You know your body best and your own tolerance levels, so as always adapt to suit you x
Struggle to tolerate dairy? — Use a dairy-free cream and parmesan alternative. Equally delicious
Gluten not a problem? — By all means, please use gluten-containing pasta!
That pumpkin gnocchi bowl is beautiful! Do you by any chance mind sharing where you found it? Xx