Pepper Vodka Pasta Sauce

This is really two recipes in one: a homemade chili-infused vodka that needs a week to steep, and a killer creamy pasta sauce that puts it to work. The pepper vodka gets made by dropping crushed dried hot chilis into a bottle of vodka and letting time do the heavy lifting. After a week, strain it off and stash it in the freezer where it turns thick and almost syrupy from the cold.

The pasta sauce follows a classic vodka sauce blueprint but with serious heat from that infused vodka. Butter melts in the pan, red pepper flakes and a full cup of the pepper vodka go in with fresh chopped tomatoes and heavy cream, and everything simmers for five minutes. The alcohol mostly cooks off, leaving behind concentrated pepper heat and the way vodka uniquely binds the fat in the cream with the acid in the tomatoes into a smooth, cohesive sauce.

Tossing the drained pasta directly in the sauce pan with freshly grated Parmesan over low heat lets the cheese melt in and the pasta absorb the sauce instead of just sitting under it.

Chef Tips

• Infuse for at least a full week. Shorter infusions taste like raw alcohol with a hint of pepper. A week lets the capsaicin fully extract into the vodka.
• Strain thoroughly through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer. Any chili bits left behind will continue to get hotter over time.
• The vodka won’t freeze. The alcohol content prevents it, but the freezer temperature thickens it into a beautiful, viscous pour.
• Simmer the sauce just 5 minutes. Longer cooking breaks the cream and dulls the bright tomato flavor.

Variations

• Bloody Mary base: The pepper vodka is called out as great for Bloody Marys. Start with an ounce and adjust heat from there.
• Milder version: Use half pepper vodka and half regular vodka in the sauce if the full cup is too fiery.
• Add pancetta: Render diced pancetta in the butter before building the sauce for a smoky, meaty depth.