Serious Eats
Mixed Review: Pasta Partners Vodka-Less Vodka Cream Sauce
"I put the bottle of Belvedere—oh alright, it was Smirnoff—back in the liquor cabinet."
[Photographs: Lucy Baker]
I made vodka sauce once for a date. No, it wasn't Rachael Ray's "You Won't Be Single For Long Vodka Cream Sauce." I'm not that sappy. It was Sara Perry's recipe for linguine with bacon and vodka sauce from her book Everything Tastes Better with Bacon. It was a memorable night and while the gentleman and I have long since parted ways, from time to time I think fondly of the irresistible contrast of smoky bacon and fragrant basil, the kick of red pepper flakes, and the hint of spice that was so hard to name (dried fennel seeds).
Gutsy and flavorful as the dish was, it took a long time to prepare, and the ingredient list was more than ten-deep. These days when I crave boozy pasta I usually stick to ordering it at restaurants, but I was attracted to Pasta Partners Vodka Cream Sauce Mix ($3.99) when I spotted it at a specialty food store—it promised "old world flavor in 15 minutes of less."
In fact, I was so eager to try out the mix that it wasn't until after I'd paid and brought it home that I bothered to read the fine print: Pasta Partners Vodka Cream Sauce Mix does not contain vodka. Nor does it call for vodka in the list of additional ingredients. Hmm, this was an interesting turn of events. I put the bottle of Belvedere—oh alright, it was Smirnoff—back in the liquor cabinet.
To make the vodka-less vodka sauce you need a 6-ounce can of tomato paste, 2 cups of water, one 14.5-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of milk.
I combined the packet of mix with the tomato paste and water and simmered it for a few minutes. Then I added the remaining ingredients, brought it to a boil, then reduced the heat and simmered it for a few more minutes. There was a note on the box that suggested adding a bit more water for a thinner sauce, which struck me as odd—my sauce wasn't chunky-hearty style. Adding any more liquid would have reduced it to a soup.
When my sauce was heated, I spooned it over a bowl of whole-wheat penne and sat down to dinner. The sauce was definitely creamy, thanks to the cups of milk and cheese, and it was lightly flavored with garlic and onion.
Unfortunately, I found it overly salty and a bit too runny for my taste. I know Mario and other Italian chefs insist that pasta should be coated only lightly in sauce, but sometimes I like to spoon up thick, pulpy tomatoes and herbs and savor them by themselves.
The Pasta Partners sauce dripped straight through the penne and pooled in the bottom of my bowl. If you want true, lusty, Sunday-night Italian flavor, you've got to invest with time and ingredients. And you can't skimp on the booze, either.
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