Chef Series: Carlotta’s Easy Vodka Pasta Recipe

Method

For the Vodka Sauce

1. In a medium saucepan, put the butter, keep the fire on medium-low heat, wait until the butter is melted and add chopped onion, make it sweat on a low heat. 
2. When the onion is soft, turn the heat on maximum power and deglaze with vodka. 
3. Once the alcohol is evaporated turn again on low heat and introduce the double cream, keep it cooking until sub-boil. 
4. At this point add the tomato sauce and keep cooking for 45 min covered by a lid on low heat, keep mixing to avoid burning the sauce and reduce it until it is not too thick.

For the pasta

1. In a roasting pan put part of the garlic oil with chilli, roast it until golden and remove it, when the oil is still hot add the crab meat and lightly roast. Keep on the side.
2. In a stir pan, add the rest of garlic, 20 gr of roasted crab and the vodka sauce, stir well until the crab meat is mixed with the sauce.
3. Clean, wash and steam the clams until they open. In a pot add water and salt to cook the pasta until it is “al dente”, take off the pasta and put it into the pan with the sauce, add a bit of cooking water to make the sauce smooth and silky and stir for 1 minute max.
4. Plate your pasta at the centre of a pasta dish, make a nice quenelle with the rest of the crab meat and serve atop, alongside the clams. Finish up the dish with tarragon leaves and a touch of garlic oil.

Ingredients

For the Pasta

• Penne 150 gr
• Tarragon 5 gr
• Vodka 120 gr
• White crab meat 60 gr
• Clams 20g
• Red chilli 2 gr

For the Vodka Sauce

• Tomato sauce 200 gr
• Fresh datterino tomatoes 20 gr
• Butter 25 gr
• Red onion 25 gr
• Double cream 35 gr
• Vodka 15 gr