Cooking with Vodka

Penne & Vodka Sauce

Vodka Penne is one of the most common vodka food recipe and probably the only vodka entrée I’ve seen served in restaurants.  There are numerous versions of this classic dish available in cookbooks and online.  But since I have received numerous requests, I thought it was high time I included mine here.  This recipe is a variation of my Penne & Vodka Cream Sauce from page 104 of The Vodka Cookbook.

Distilled Bruschetta (from The Vodka Cookbook)

There’s lots of crunch and flavor in every bite of this twist on an Italian classic.  I think that bruchetta is as much about texture as it is flavor.  I used to make the mistake of simply toasting the bread.  But it often resulted in a dry, crumbly foundation for the topping – most of which ended up on my shirt.  Now I make the extra effort to fry the bread so the center stays soft (and my laundry bills stay low). I find it equally important to meticulously chop everything to approximately the same size so that each spoonful of the topping contains an equal share of all ingredients.  And lastly, a pinch of kosher salt just before serving adds a little explosion of saltiness as it hits the tongue.

Vodka Lemon Chicken (from The Vodka Cookbook by John Rose)

I'm a breast man...at least when it comes to chickens.  And Lemon Chicken is among the most common recipes for preparing chicken breasts.  Here's my not so common vodka variation of this classic dish right from the pages The Vodka Cookbook.

Vodka Chocolate Sauce (over cashew-coated ice cream balls)

Here's a recipe that's simple and sweet...just like me.  

The fastest way to turn an ordinary dessert into a vodka treat is to add this Vodka Chocolate Sauce.  In this recipe, I use vodka to temper the sweetness of the sauce. I usually drizzle it over balls of vanilla ice cream rolled in crushed cashews as described below.  But you can pour it over anything...or anyone.

Apple Vodka Omelet Flambé

Anyone who has read The Vodka Cookbook or has ever seen my vodka cooking demonstrations, knows I often set things on fire – usually on purpose.  Of course you must take extra precautions when you decide to flambé a dish at home, being careful to remove flammable objects…like small pets and hairy relatives (don’t ask), to a safe distance.  But flaming a dish is really easy and is sure to get lots of “oohs” and “ahhs” from your significant others – raising your stature in the kitchen to new heights.  And don’t we all enjoy getting our stature raised?   Anyway…apple pie meets omelet in this sweet & fluffy egg dish. 

Spiked Cherry Tomatoes

Pop one of these babies in your mouth for a wild burst of flavor (and isn’t that why we’re all here?).  These are great on their own or as a garnish to a Vodka Martini or Bloody Mary.  I use them with my Bloody Natasha recipe (The Vodka Cookbook, p.151).

Vodka Grilled Corn

Armed with fresh corn from the farmer's market and this recipe you will become king or queen of the grill.  Twenty minutes in the oven will also do the trick. But "King of the Oven" doesn't sound quite as cool.

Totally Baked Beans

Some of you may know that I'm originally from Beantown, a nickname Boston has held since the eighteenth century when Puritan colonists adapted a Native American recipe of slowly cooking beans inside deerskins with maple sugar and bear fat.  This evolved into the recipe of baked beans with salt pork and molasses that came to be known as Boston Baked Beans.  Now imagine if those Native Americans had vodka...

Vodka, Broccoli & Cheddar Soup

  

I know not everyone loves broccoli as much as I do.  But give this hearty soup a try one cold evening with a crusty loaf of bread and these much maligned little cancer-fighting buds might surprise you.  Of course, a little vodka makes everything (and everyone) more attractive.

Fermented Fruit

Your average fruit cocktail is a bit of a let-down. Sure it has fruit. But where's the cocktail? I fixed that.