Vodka Sauce

Vodka sauce vodka sauce vodka sauce vodka sauce. This is the best pasta sauce EVER! Sort of. I mean, the carbanara sauce is really good too, but this one is HEALTHIER because it uses real (canned) tomatoes and (slightly) less cream. And it's good. Really, really good. I promise.

Ingredients:

• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 large shallot (really, it makes a difference. Shallots are good.)
• 1 small yellow onion
• Olive oil
• Butter
  
• 1 can of tomatoes
• 1 can tomato puree
  
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup vodka
• Flour for thickening

Chop the garlic et. al. and sauté for a few minutes in the olive oil and butter (yes, both. Because this recipe just deserves it). Sometimes I add a dash of white wine to make it an extra-drunk recipe. Add the canned tomatoes, the tomato puree, and the pepper and cook for a few minutes until some of the liquid has evaporated. Add the cream and vodka, and thicken with flour if necessary (it's always necessary).

Serve over pasta (yeah, don't forget to cook the pasta) with vegetables, if you like. It goes very well with sautéed mushrooms.

Chicken with wine-mushroom sauce

Posted by Pat

It's been a long time since I have gone through my "old fashion" recipe box and when I did I pulled out a couple of wonderful chicken recipes I had forgotten about, hope you give them a try!

• 1 T. butter 2 T. olive oil, divide use
• 8 oz. slice mushrooms 1 T. minced fresh basil or parsley
• 4 bone in chicken breasts w/skin salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 C. dry white wine 1/4 C. chicken broth
• 1/4 C. heavy whiping cream

Melt butter in large deep non-stick skillet. Add 2 tsp. of the olive oil. When oil and butter are hot add mushrooms. Saute on med.high heat until mushrooms are lightly browned and softened and all liquid has evaporated. Remove mushrooms and set aside. Season mushrooms with salt, pepper and the parlsey or basil.

Return skillet to med-high heat. Add remaining olive oil. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Add chicken in a single layer skin side down and cook until well browned, about 5 min. on each side. Lower heat to medium, cover and cood until cooked trhug, about 8 to 14 min.

Transfer chicken to large plate and cover. Pour off fat from skillet, add wine and boil on high until reduced by half, about 2-3 minutes. Add broth and boil until reduced by half, about 1 minute.

Add cream and boil 1 minute, stir in mushrooms. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Spoon sauce over chicken and enjoy!

Note: We always prepare more sauce so I increase the amounts, we like it over rice or noodles so extra sauce is great.