I decided to make a meatless tomato sauce to serve with pasta. Spag bol with lots of vegetables but no meat. I had a kilo of peeled tomatoes in the freezer which grew in our garden last summer and I wanted them to be the star of this sauce.
There are lots of recipes online for tomato sauce to serve with pasta and quite a few are enriched with a splash of vodka and some cream, si I thought I would give it a try. The first photo is the sauce without the cream and the second photo is with the addition of cream. I preferred without, Matthew preferred with.
2-3 Tbs vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 sticks celery, finely chopped
2-3 carrots, finely chopped
1 red capsicum, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 kg ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
2 stock cubes (chicken or vegetable)
Water as required
½ cup vodka
½ cup cream (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
To serve:
Cooked pasta of your choice (I used fettuccine)
Grated Parmesan cheese
Chopped parsley
Olive oil
Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook the onion, celery, carrot, red capsicum and garlic for 10-15 minutes over medium heat, stirring often, until softened but not browned. Add the tomatoes and stock cubes, then simmer for 1-2 hours stirring often and adding more water as required.
About half an hour before serving, add the vodka and continue to cook until the sauce is thick like a bolognese sauce. Add cream (if using) and adjust seasoning as required.
Serve sauce on cooked pasta, topped with the grated cheese, chopped herbs and a drizzle of your best Extra Virgin olive oil.
Serves 6
Variations: use sherry or wine instead of the vodka
