Soju Tomato Pasta w/ Whipped Ricotta
My take on the Penne a la Vodka of my childhood this spicy, tomato sauce with creamy ricotta is absolutely delicious.
Soju Tomato Pasta w/ Whipped Ricotta
Serves 4 - 6
This is my take on the Penne a la Vodka of my childhood. The Penne a la Vodka that I remember was a simple slightly spicy tomato sauce with a pungency and aroma added from the vodka and silky from cream and cheese.
Recreating Penne a la Vodka started with a reduction of cream. Creamy sauces are not something that I cook or eat often but, in Penne a la Vodka in particular I feel it masks the complexity of the dish. Here I have dramatically reduced the amount of cream in the sauce but not eliminated the richness it adds by using butter in the sauce rather than olive oil. Keeping the seasoning simple allows the tomato to shine through with complex spice and depth from soy sauce and toasting the gochugaru and gochujang. The soju isn’t cooked long to maintain its punch while also bringing a gentle sweetness and a similar aroma as vodka would to the final sauce. The cold whipped ricotta, melts gently into the pasta adding an extra layer of richness and creaminess whit those bites tasting almost as if they were a different sauce altogether.
Ingredients
Soju Sauce Base
28g (2 T) butter
300g (1 large) onion, small dice
10 garlic cloves, sliced
1 t gochugaru
2 T gochujang
794ml (28-oz can) whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
2 T soy sauce
1.5 T Mirin
1 t Italian seasoning
0.75 t kosher salt
0.75 t ground black pepper
Whipped ricotta
200g (1 c) ricotta
75ml (5 T) heavy cream
10g (0.25 c) grated Pecorino Romano, Grana Padano or Parmesan
0.25 t kosher salt
0.25 t ground black pepper
1 t confit garlic oil - optional
3 confit garlic cloves – optional
Finishing
500g (a little more than 1 lb) penne pasta
100ml (0.50 c) soju
60ml (0.25 c) heavy cream
Recipe Know-how
1. In a medium pot, heat the butter over medium-high until foaming.
Add the onion and garlic along with a pinch of salt.
Cook stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until the onions are softened but have not taken on any color.
Reduce the heat to medium.
Add the gochugaru and cook for 1 minute stirring occasionally.
Add the gochujang and cook 3 – 4 minutes stirring occasionally.
The gochujang should deepen in color and the butter might separate from the mixture.
Add the tomatoes, soy, mirin and seasonings.
Bring to a boil uncovered.
Reduce the heat to medium-low.
Simmer uncovered for 40 – 45 minutes stirring occasionally.
The sauce is ready when a spoon pulled through holds a thick line for a few seconds.
While the sauce simmers, make the ricotta.
Whipped Ricotta
2. In a food processor, place the ricotta ingredients.
Blend for 1 minute.
Scrape down the bowl of the food processor.
Blend for 1 – 2 minutes longer or until smooth and fluffy.
Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
Refrigerate until needed.
Finishing
3. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt heavily.
Add the pasta and cook 2 minutes shorter than package directions.
Finish the sauce while the pasta cooks.
4. Increase the sauce heat to medium-high.
Add the soju to the sauce and cook for 2 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add the cream and cook 2 minutes longer.
Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.
Keep the sauce warm while the pasta finishes.
5. When the pasta is almost ready, take out 300ml (1.5 c) pasta cooking liquid and set aside.
Drain the pasta.
6. Toss the pasta with the sauce and 100ml (0.50 c) pasta water.
Over medium-high, cook stirring frequently for 2 minutes or until the pasta reaches your desired texture.
Add more pasta water as necessary to make a creamy sauce that coats all of the pasta.
7. Serve topping each plate with a few dollops of the whipped ricotta.