You won't be single for long Vodka Cream Pasta

ApeXaviour · 24-08-2006 10:25pm #1

As seen on oprah (mother was watching, I just like pointing out inadequacies).

Now maybe I'm making a serious oversight but why in the hell are you spending the guts of 10 euro on vodka for this recipe?! For pasta no less..! According to your one on the show you're boiling it down to "concentrate its [vodka's] flavour". Vodka is, for all intents and purposes, pure alcohol and pure water. The only reason I can think of how the vod would make a difference is that the boiling temperature would be stable at about 80C for a couple minutes while the 90 odd ml of alcohol is boiled off. After that it'd shoot up to 100C again. I can't see this making much of a difference though.

Any thoughts?
Do any of you use vodka in your recipies? What's the advantage? I can't see it...

county · 24-08-2006 10:32pm

vodka and pasta is just not right,experimentation gone badly wrong

dudara · 25-08-2006 7:43am

I've had vodka cream pasta a few times in restaurants and it can be very very tasty.

Dunno would I spend all the money on it though

Celticfire · 25-08-2006 9:40am

ApeXaviour wrote:

As seen on oprah

Do any of you use vodka in your recipies? What's the advantage? I can't see it...

Why don't you try it and see? It's quite yummy. We cook it at home every now and again. Great with garlic bread.

BuffyBot · 25-08-2006 10:16am

Vodka/cream/pasta forms the basis of a classic italian dish actually. Can't remember the name of it lff the top of my head

ApeXaviour · 25-08-2006 3:12pm

Celticfire wrote:

Why don't you try it and see? It's quite yummy. We cook it at home every now and again. Great with garlic bread.

I have. D'mother made it. Yes it was quite tasty. But my point is if you substituted the vod for tap-water (something which is free) it shouldn't make the slightest bit of difference!

25-08-2006 3:16pm

I love tequila chicken (you get it in Luigi Malones)..

Suppose it couldn't be that much different

ApeXaviour · 25-08-2006 4:09pm

Deleted User wrote:

I love tequila chicken (you get it in Luigi Malones)..

Suppose it couldn't be that much different

Tequila is distilled differently such that it maintains much of the flavour of the original corn wash. Similar with whiskey/scotch and their barley (beer) wash, rum and its molasses wash etc. So if you boil them down you are actually concentrating the flavour. This is the basis for cooking with wine also. But vodka is distilled in such a way as to refine and purify it to just alcohol (ethanol) and water. So technically you could make vodka from any type of wash: beer/wine/molasses/potato etc. I think the russians use a wheat based wash

Celticfire · 25-08-2006 5:20pm

Taken from chef talk forum

Are you making penne ala vodka? The idea that vodka has no flavor isn't really right. Yes, it is a "neutral spirit" but it does have flavor. To find out the difference, try making two small batches of your recipe using water in one and vodka in the other. You'll see what I mean. Don't forget to carefully burn off the alcohol. You don't want booze in your food. ps. I don't like to cook with vodka. I don't like the flavor. But hey, that's me. Enjoy.

It's not only that the vodka has flavor, but the alcohol in the vodka does something else. It unleashes flavor compounds that dissolve in alcohol. In the side x side taste test, I think you'll notice because in the absense of alcohol, you don't get that "can't put your finger on it" flavor.
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You won't be single for long Vodka Cream Pasta

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