Aspiring Elephant

I wish I could take credit for this wonderful recipe, because it’s genius. However, this lovely, decadent dish is courtesy of the talented folks over at Jon and Vinny’s in Los Angeles, California. I’ve always been one of those people that insists on having some sort of protein with a meal, preferably meat. Whether it be chicken, steak, or even fish, I feel there has to be something other than just vegetables and carbs. This Spicy fusilli changed my thoughts on that. If you’re a fan of rich, creamy, flavorful pasta dishes then you’re going to love this one. Best of all, it can be whipped up in around 20 minutes, using just basic, fresh ingredients.

Ingredients

• shallots
• garlic
• tomato paste
• vodka
• heavy cream
• fusilli pasta
• parmesan cheese
• fresh basil
• salt and pepper
• red pepper flakes

How to Make Spicy Vodka Fusilli

We’ll start by finely dicing one medium sized shallot. Then open up 3 cloves of garlic, keeping them whole for the time being. Instead of dicing them into small pieces, we will grate them directly into the pan using a microplane.

In a large skillet, add 2 tbsp of olive oil, then bring to temperature over medium heat. Add in the garlic and shallot. Sauté for 4-5 minutes until they begin to develop some color. I like to also season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste at this point. Be careful not to add too much. Remember, you can always add more at the end, but you can never take it away.

Next, add in 1/2 cup of tomato paste and begin working it into the garlic and shallot so everything is evenly coated. Cook for 3 minutes or so until the tomato paste turns a darker brick red color. Allowing tomato paste to cook will remove some of the metallic taste it often has directly out of the can. At this point, the garlic and shallots will start to caramelize and stick to the bottom of the pan – it’s time to deglaze. Also, go ahead and start boiling salted water, that way the pasta will be ready by the time it’s cooked to al dente.

Deglazing with Vodka!

There are many different things you can use to deglaze a pan, water or stock being two of them. But we’re making a spicy vodka fusilli, so we’re going to use good ole fashioned Tito’s Vodka. Vodka does some interesting things to a sauce when added. If we’re getting into the science of it – vodka contains ethanol, which helps to emulsify the fat and water molecules, making it more cohesive. It also helps to balance out the acidity, resulting in different, more pronounced flavors from the tomato paste, shallots, and garlic. If used correctly, most, if not all of the alcohol will burn off during the cooking process, leaving behind only the subtle flavor and aromatics of the vodka.

Carefully add in 2 tbsp of vodka and allow it to burn off for a minute or so before beginning to stir. If you are cooking over an open gas flame, it can oftentimes flare up, so proceed with caution. Make to to scrape up and burnt, stuck bits from the bottom of the pan. All of those charred bits will add more flavor to the sauce!

Once nearly all the alcohol is burnt off, add in 1 cup of heavy cream and continue to stir. I always enjoy seeing the sauce turn from a dark red to a vibrant orange color. Make sure to take this time to taste the sauce and adjust as needed.

Remove your pasta from the boiling water once it’s cooked to al dente. We want it edible but with a bite still to it. I like to say, cook the pasta about 85% of the way, then the remaining 15% will be in the pan (with sauce). Save about 1 cup of pasta cooking liquid.

Add pasta into the sauce, followed by 3/4 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese, and about 1/2 cup of cooking liquid. Stir until combined. The last thing I like to do, to make the sauce even more velvety, is to add about 1 tbsp of butter. Feel free to add more liquid if the sauce seems too thick. Here is what the pasta should look like at this point. Rich and creamy!

That’s really all there is to it. Finish it off with some freshly chopped basil and more parmesan cheese. Let us know what you think! And if you are ever in the Los Angeles area, go stop by Jon and Vinny’s – it’s great.