The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 866

caused their bitterness to come out more strongly? In any case, only when I got down to 2% ABV did the sauce become bearable I very slightly preferred the 1% sauce over the completely alcohol-free one, but just barely Cooking the sauce made a huge difference After the 7-minute simmer, even the 4% sauce was edible though the bright sweetness of the tomatoes didn’t really start showing until I got to the 2% sauce (which, after simmering for a few minutes, must have settled down to closer to 1% in the end) The harsher flavors of the vodka had dissipated, the bitterness was gone, and I was left with a nicely balanced sauce that packed a little bit more heat and bright aroma than the vodka-free sauce So, to answer the question: Yes! Vodka does alter the flavor of the sauce in a pleasing way It adds a touch of heat and a bit of a sharp bite that help balance the sweetness of the tomatoes and the cream Is it absolutely necessary? No, but vodka sauce wouldn’t be, well, vodka sauce without it PASTA WITH CARAMELIZED EGGPLANT AND RICH TOMATO SAUCE (PASTA ALLA NORMA) I’d had versions of pasta alla Norma, the classic Sicilian dish of pasta with tomatoes and eggplant, many times and always ended up scratching my head and thinking, “I just don’t get it.” I mean, there’s nothing wrong with tomato sauce and caramelized eggplant, but what in the world is that bland, mild ricotta salata doing sitting on top? Surely you want a more flavorful aged cheese for grating, right? It wasn’t until I tasted it in Sicily while my wife and I were on our fourth honeymoon (or was it our fifth?—she drags me on these things every year, I lose track) that I got it: real ricotta salata is nothing like the stuff we generally find here The Sicilian version is made with sheep’s milk that is aged until it is intensely tangy, with a strong barnyard aroma that is really the backbone of the dish I’ve found it stateside in specialty Italian markets, but if you can’t find properly aged ricotta salata (smell it before you buy it—it should have a powerful aroma), you can replace it with an aged caciocavallo, a good sheep’s- ... were on our fourth honeymoon (or was it our fifth?—she drags me on these things every year, I lose track) that I got it: real ricotta salata is nothing like the stuff we generally find here The Sicilian version... strong barnyard aroma that is really the backbone of the dish I’ve found it stateside in specialty Italian markets, but if you can’t find properly aged ricotta salata (smell it before you buy it—it should have a powerful aroma), you...PASTA WITH CARAMELIZED EGGPLANT AND RICH TOMATO SAUCE (PASTA ALLA NORMA) I’d had versions of pasta alla Norma, the classic Sicilian dish of pasta with tomatoes and eggplant, many times and