Creamy Vodka-Sage-Tomato Sauce with homemade Almond Cream

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Creamy Vodka-Sage-Tomato Sauce with homemade Almond Cream

Enough for 500g pasta or 2 packs (each 500g) gnocchi

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • Olive oil
  • 1 small white onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup vodka
  • 2-3 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp. dried oregano
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • A pinch of red chili flakes
  • 1 can (400g) chopped tomatoes
  • 1/2 can water
  • 1 big handful of fresh sage, roughly chopped

Almond Cream

  • 100 g (2 cups) almond flakes (blanched and not roasted)
  • 1 1/3 cup water
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 3 tsp oil (canola / olive or sunflower oil)

Directions

For the Almond Cream

  1. Add all the ingredients for the almond cream to a blender, food processor or smoothie maker and blend until everything is super well combined and smooth

  2. Place a strainer over a bowl and add the almond mixture from your blender / food processor / smoothie maker to the strainer

  3. With the back of a spoon, press down the almond mixture until all the liquid is pressed out and poured into the bowl below (press until you have about 1 cup of almond cream). Give it a good stir and set aside

Tomato Sauce

  1. Heat olive oil (enough to cover the bottom of the pan) in a big pan over medium-high heat 

  2. Once the oil is hot, add your chopped onion and let it cook for about 1-2 minutes or until it becomes translucent

  3. Add your minced garlic and cook it for another minute, stirring occasionally (make sure the garlic won’t brown)

  4. Carefully add the vodka to the pan (be even more careful if you cook with open flames), give everything a good stir and let it simmer until almost all he vodka has sizzled away

  5. Then, add 2-3 tbsp. of tomato paste, dried oregano, salt, pepper, red chili flakes and 1 can of chopped tomatoes. Refill half the can with water and add it as well

  6. Stir well, reduce the heat to medium-low and let the sauce simmer for another 4-5 minutes 

  7. After 4-5 minutes add the roughly chopped sage and the almond cream 

  8. Let everything simmer for another 2 minutes and season with more salt and pepper if needed

  9. Add your cooked and drained pasta to the sauce and ENJOY!

Notes

The vodka gives this sauce a nice sweetness and enhances the flavors of the tomatoes but you don’t have to use it. This sauce will be delicious either way. If you decide to leave out the vodka, simply add 1-2 tsp. sugar or another sweetener of your choice to the sauce for a small hint of sweetness 🙂 

 

You could also use 100g of whole (blanched) almonds for the almond cream. Soak the almonds in water for a couple of hours and then drain them (you could also roughly chop the almonds after soaking them which makes it even easier to blend them).

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