Tip(sy) your servers!

Vodka, or even alcohol in general, can be a boon for any sauce. It can be used to deglaze a pan, add a bit of astringency, or even finish the dish in the tradition of Amaretto and ice cream. Alcohol is also interesting in that it possesses reactive molecules that, in the words of Harold McGee, "can combine with other substances in the food to generate new aromas and greater depth of flavour". This is due to the properties of alcohol when it is cooked in food - in small amounts, alcohol can boost volatile flavours (for example, the glutamate in tomatoes, or the fond picked up from the pan) and intensify the aroma.

Simmering for a long time allows you to cook off all but a small amount of the alcohol, ideally to 5% unless you want the astringency and flavour of the alcohol present in your dish. Note: this is 5% of the ABV of the alcohol you are adding, not 5% ABV period. Cooking with alcohol should not get you drunk, or be noticeable in the flavour of the dish (unless, again, that is what you are going for). Different methods of cooking leave different levels of alcohol behind, however.  Simmering for a while only leaves 5%, but quick cooking can leave anywhere from 10-50%, and flambee can leave 75% behind.

Cooking with alcohol is an old tradition due to the great flavours it provides. Some examples of other dishes with alcohol include:

• Crepe Suzette
• Chicken Picatta
• Beer can chicken
• Bananas Foster
• Whiskey BBQ Sauce
• Welsh Rarebit
• Boneless short rib stew (simmered with beer)
• Beer battered fish and chips
• Beef Bourguignonne
• Scotch Egg (Kidding!)

Gochujang

Gochujang has become a staple in our home for a few simple reasons: It tastes great, it's affordable, and it is very flexible. Gochujang is a Korean fermented condiment that looks somewhat like a darker tomato paste. It is made from gochu-garu (red chili powder), glutinous rice, meju (fermented soybean) powder, yeotgireum (barley malt powder), and salt. It got it's start in the 16th century in Korea, after Portuguese traders brought chilies over from the Americas, and has been a part of Korean cuisine ever since. It is fermented similar to Kimchi, but produces something with a bit less funk than the cabbage based kimchi. This paste can be used as a topping, spread, foundation for soups and stews and, in our case, a sauce base. If you want to give Gochujang a try in something more authentic to its roots, jjigae is a wonderful place to start, as well as a gochujang bulgogi where it is used to marinate the meat.

How to make it:

Shots! Shots! Shots! And noodles!

Begin by filling a pot with salted water, bringing it to a boil, and cooking the noodles. You can do this while everything else is cooking if you want the dish done faster. Once the pasta is done, reserve some pasta water, drain the rest, and set the noodles aside.

For the sauce, begin with a large pan, and heat the oil over medium heat. Add the minced shallots and cook until they are soft and clear.

Add the tomato paste, gochujang, and garlic to the pan and cook until it smells great.

Then add your vodka - deglaze with the spirit and cook this until you can't smell the alcohol anymore, then add cream and chili flakes. Cook all this until it starts to thicken.

FINISH HIM (er... the dish!)

Add the cooked pasta and some pasta water back to the pan to combine. The starches in the pasta water will begin to link up with the fat in the dairy, and make a creamy emulsified sauce.

As you stir the pasta, slowly add parmesan and more pasta water until the pasta is saucy, combined, and at your preferred consistency. Split your pasta between two bowls, and garnish these with Green onion. Enjoy!

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