Vodka Sauce

Peel and finely chop 1 onion. Firmly smash 4 garlic cloves with the flat side of a chef’s knife and remove peel. Minced the garlic. Grate the Parmesan on the smallest holes of the box grater or with a microplane. Combine water and tomato powder, stir to make a paste. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a Dutch oven over medium. Add onion and cook, stirring constantly, just until the onion is starting to brown around the edges, 4-5 minutes. Then add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes or until the garlic is fragrant. Add tomato paste and ½ tsp. red pepper flakes and stir until paste evenly coats onion and garlic.

Continue to cook, stirring often, until the paste is deep red and starting to brown on the bottom of the pot, 5–7 minutes. Add 2 oz. vodka to deglaze pan and stir to incorporate, scraping bottom of the pot. Reduce heat to low. Using a heatproof glass measuring cup, measure about ¼ cup of hot water, then add ¾ cup heavy cream to the measuring cup (this brings up the temperature of the cream so it won’t break when you add it to the pot). Slowly add warmed cream to the Dutch oven, stirring constantly, until a smooth sauce forms. Remove from heat. And grated parmesan. Adjust the flavor with a little salt.

Toss your favorite pasta into this sauce and enjoy.