My son is now a college boy and is about to move into his first apartment. He has asked me to teach him some good simple recipes for college life. HIs first request was a pasta sauce. He loves a good creamy Tomato Vodka Sauce, so we created the following recipe. It was delicious and very easy to make. They say the vodka helps bring out the flavors of the tomatoes. I think it was originally created in the ’70’s by the vodka industry for some self promotion. No matter what the reason, the end result is delicious.

Ingredients:

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 large shallot, minced

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tbsp. tomato paste

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 28 oz. can whole plum tomatoes, crushed by hand

1/3 cup vodka

3/4 cup heavy cream, or more to taste

sea salt, to taste

black pepper, to taste

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Saute the shallots until lightly golden brown. Add in the garlic, red pepper flakes, and tomato paste and saute another minute or so until fragrant.  Remove from the heat and add in the crushed tomatoes with some of the juices from the can and the vodka. Put back on the burner and simmer for 10 minutes to cook off the alcohol taste of the vodka.

Blend the sauce until barely smooth using a blender or a hand-held immersion blender. Add in the cream. Season with salt and pepper. Adjust the seasonings and cream until you get the flavor you enjoy. Serve over pasta or chicken or fish.