Alcohol and food are two things that have been paired for decades. It is popular to see the use of wines in soups, meat, barbecues, and more. Alcoholic drinks like limoncello have even been used as a palate cleanser or to help our digestion process move along.
At many dining tables, it is not unusual to see bottles of wine accompanying meals. The origin of vodka sauce is muddy, but the sauce is interesting.
Vodka sauce is a cuisine that has Italian-American origins. In simple terms, it is smooth tomato sauce, heavy cream, and vodka. That isn’t all that goes into the making of vodka sauce, in any case, if you were wondering what it would taste like, let me give you an idea, so you would know what to expect when you come across it.
What does vodka sauce taste like? Vodka sauce is flexible in the sense that it takes the flavor of the ingredients you incorporate into the sauce. The presence of alcohol in the sauce plays a very important role. It binds the fat and water and enhances the flavors you have in the sauce. The vodka also keeps the sauce from becoming watery, so your sauce has a thick texture.
The recipes for vodka sauce may vary, but the basic ingredients do not change. You have vodka, tomatoes, heavy cream, onions, pepper, salt, butter, or margarine. When you have these basic ingredients, you can add herbs or spices of your choice to create a flavor that will suit your taste.
Nutritional Benefits of Vodka Sauce
Vodka sauce might be sinful to some because of the heavy cream, but it contains nutrients that can be of benefit to the body. You have protein, vitamins A & C, calcium, saturated fat, and dietary fiber all in significant amounts.
A regular serving of vodka sauce doesn’t contain so many calories in a 4.4oz serving, you have a calorie count of 150. If you walk for 30 minutes, you would have burned most of it off. The calories in the vodka source come from the protein, fat, and carbohydrates that are in the sauce.
Vodka sauce would have some level of alcohol in them depending on how much vodka you used. In such cases, don’t consume too much before taking a drive or handling any heavy machinery. You can refrain from serving it to your kids, or watch the amount they ingest if you must serve them.
Vodka offers benefits to the body when it is taken in moderate amounts. One of them being that it is a natural disinfectant. The presence of vodka in vodka sauce could help treat toothaches, eliminate some kinds of bacteria that live in the mouth, and contribute to oral hygiene.
It is also known to dampen tension and relieve the body of stress. It can increase the rate of blood flow and promote heart health by preventing strokes, clots, blood vessel blockages, and other blood circulatory-related diseases.
Vodka can also help to reduce the risks that are associated with diabetes. Let’s not forget that vodka can get you intoxicated and remove all inhibitions, so it should not be taken excessively even when it is integrated into vodka sauce.
Culinary Uses of Vodka Sauce
Traditionally, vodka sauce is used for pasta. In some culinary circles, it is called pasta sauce. If you do not have the stomach for alcohol, you can replace the vodka in the recipe with white wines or red wines.
Vodka sauce pairs well with a lot of things other than pasta. You can have vodka sauce with ground meat and pasta; something similar to spaghetti and meatballs. It also pairs perfectly well with sausage, especially when they are nice Italian-style sausages on top of penne noodles.
If you have garlic breadsticks, you can coat them in vodka sauce or use them as a dip. It all depends on preference. This combination can present an easy to make, but classic side dish that can accompany any meal.
When making vodka sauce, you have to be careful with the amount of alcohol that goes into your food. If the amount of vodka you use in the sauce is too much, it ruins the taste.
You can substitute the “vodka” in vodka sauce with grape juice or wine. There is no promise that it will turn out as well as if you had vodka in there but the experience would be almost similar. If you do not want wine or grape juice, you can add a mixture of lemon and water to taste. To make up for the lack of alcohol in the sauce, add more tomato paste.
What is the Origin of Vodka Sauce? How to Procure It?
The origin of vodka sauce is muddy, but it has Italian – American origins. The original vodka sauce has some Italian herbs used as part of the ingredients. The reason for the orange color of the sauce is the heavy cream that is added to it. The inclusion of vodka in the sauce helps to release the flavors in the sauce.
Vodka sauce has been branded by many brands and sold commercially. If you walk into grocery stores you should be able to get your hands on some. But you can make your own vodka sauce in your kitchen so you can control the ingredients used.
Can Vodka Sauce Get You Drunk?
In many vodka sauces, the amount of alcohol used in it is not enough to get you drunk. When you cook, the alcohol is cooked off. You will still retain the taste of alcohol in the sauce, but the alcohol remaining has been greatly reduced.
Facts You Don’t Know About Vodka Sauce
- If you have a limited time to come up with a sauce, vodka sauce can be the perfect solution. It doesn’t take long to make.
- The concentration of alcohol is important to vodka sauce. If you are making it by yourself, watch the amount of alcohol you use, and don’t use flavored alcoholics.