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I think that the idea behind it (or so I've heard) is that alchohol brings out the flavor in the tomatoes before it cooks off when the sauce is heated. Vodka is used because it is more or less flavorless. Anyway, I'm no expert on this subject, but this is what I've been told.
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re: Marvin
flourgirl
Mar 11, 2007 02:54 PM
I actually make a variation of this dish fairly often - and I absolutely can taste the difference between a pink sauce made with vodka and a sauce made without. When I make the sauce though, I almost always use pancetta. I saute the chopped pancetta and garlic, add vodka and deglaze the pan. Then I add the tomatoes. I think the vodka cuts some of the richness of the cream and adds flavor as well. I know that vodka is supposedly "flavorless and odorless" but as anyone who drinks very dry vodka martinis knows, this is just not true. I love the taste of good vodka, and i love pink vodka sauce.
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littlegreenpea
Mar 10, 2007 09:31 AM
My very Italian friend told me that this dish is the product of a mis-translation. The penne vodka in the original Italian dish referred to some sort of slow-braised meat that imparted a lot of flavour to the sauce. I can't remember specifics, but she laughed at North American attempts at penne with vodka sauce.
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futurechefgrrl
Mar 10, 2007 05:55 AM
They do it because it sounds cool. The very nature of vodka is that it is color, taste and odor-less. I guess they figure if they throw vodka in the sauce, they can jack up the price. :-)
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