About that vodka sauce...

nailed it! Oh yea. I was angry...stupid argument with my boyfriend fueled the fire to finally create a vodka sauce I will actually eat. As he said, " I should piss you off more often." I certainly do not advise this tactic for fear of loss of manhood, but I did get a great sauce out of it. 

I so do not believe in "kitchen secrets", so I'm going to share mine with you--there is a little weirdness, trust me, it's good. And very worth the calories, of which there are many requiring a really long walk with the dog after dinner.

Courtney's Vodka Sauce (finally)

Prep time: 3 minutes

Cook time: About an hour

Ingredients: (Please note, my measurements are approximate. I do not measure, I pinch)

1/2 white onion

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup light butter, plus 1-2 additional teaspoons

1/2 cup vodka

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes

1 cup heavy cream

5 strips of microwaved bacon, crumbled (trust me)

2 teaspoons of sugar (tempers the tomato acidity)

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. fresh basil

1/2 tsp salt

Red pepper flakes to taste

Salt & fresh black pepper to taste

Freshly shredded Parmesan, to top it off (DO NOT buy the grated crap)

Melt the butter and saute the onions & garlic until soft. Add vodka, and simmer about 10 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, bacon, sugar, oregano, and basil, and heat on medium-low about 20 minutes. Add the cream, and simmer another 20 minutes--occasionally swirling in additional butter as needed (gives it a really creamy and ridiculously good flavor as well as helps to thicken). When ready to serve, sprinkle with red pepper flakes, salt & pepper, and little freshly shredded Parmesan. Delicious.

I served this with the "little flowers", or more formally Campanelle pasta, and a mixed green salad topped with wasabi peas and a mix of honey dijon and balsamic vinaigrette. 

It was a rock star meal. Tonight I made a chipotle chicken that was also totally awesome, fueled by the stress of selling our house today. Yep, here we go! 

Enjoy!