Fresh tomatoes are so good during the summer aren’t they? I wanted to take advantage and use them in this sauce over some pasta shells that I had in my pantry. I did use one can of diced tomatoes as well paired with some vodka, basil, a hint of heat from some chili flakes, Parmesan and a little bit of cream to give this a slight creaminess. This turned out to be a very nice sauce that makes me think of these remaining days of summer.
Here’s what you need:
*1 small onion
*2 large garlic cloves
*4 Roma tomatoes, or any other tomato you might prefer
*salt to taste + 1/2 tsp for the sauce
*olive oil
*15 oz can diced tomatoes
*1 tsp. dried Basil or 1 TBS fresh, chopped Basil
*1/4 tsp red chili flakes, or more to taste
*2 tsp. dried parsley or 1 1/2 TBS fresh chopped parsley
*1/4 C. Vodka
*1/4 C. Parmesan cheese, grated
*1/2 C. heavy cream
*1 box of shell pasta
Preheat broiler.
Cut tomatoes in half; cut the onion into quarters. Place on a baking sheet along with the whole cloves of garlic; drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
Broil until the tomatoes and onion starts to brown a bit; take out the garlic cloves if they start to burn.
Place the tomatoes, onions, garlic and a can of diced tomatoes into a blender.
Yes, I did use canned tomatoes also in this sauce because I like the combination of using the fresh and the canned. The freshness and flavor of the garden tomatoes still comes thru.
Pulse the blender until everything is mixed and the vegetables are finely chopped; set aside.
Start cooking the pasta according to the direction of the package.
Heat a large sauce pan on medium high heat. Pour the tomato mixture into the pan.
Add in basil, chili flakes and vodka.
Stir ingredients together and turn down the heat to medium. Simmer while pasta is cooking, at least 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
and if you feel the need to save some vodka for yourself while cooking, go ahead, cooking can be a celebration after all.
Take pan off of the heat; stir in the heavy cream, Parmesan and parsley.
Drain the pasta and spoon into serving dishes; add desired amount of the tomato vodka sauce on top and serve.
A Foodie In The South 