Cavatelli a la Vodka: Spilled Milk #269

Prepare to be obsessed with this creamy and dreamy tomato vodka sauce.

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Cacio e pepe was the pasta obsession of 2023. I think creamy, spicy tomato vodka sauce has been the obsession of 2024. Call it Carbone madness, an addiction, an obsession. Like the celebs who down the stuff by the barrelful at Carbone, Torrisi and every other Major Food Group restaurant, we have all sought to quell the mad voices within that say “more” when it comes to this insanely delicious sauce. Jay-Z isn’t wrong, the dish is amazing. MFG does theirs with rigatoni, I make mine with homemade cavatelli. You do you. I just want you to make the sauce.

The BONUS recipe here is the easiest pasta to make from scratch that I know of. It’s even easier if you have a $38 cavatelli roller. And trust me, I use mine all the time, best “one purpose” tool in my kitchen, for sure.

The sauce base cooks over a medium-low flame, and the tomato paste caramelizes and turns jammy. Then adding the vodka, and then more tomatoes and cream results in a texture that is the addictive component here because you don’t achieve it with other sauces.

Did the dish originate at Orsini’s in New York City? Some say Chef Luigi Franzese invented the dish in the 1970s and served it with penne. Others say vodka sauce was first served at Ristorante Dante in Bologna, Italy. Chuck Williams said it was created by a Roman chef who worked for a vodka company. Looking to popularize the beverage in a wine-focused culture, he created the recipe. 

It doesn’t matter. What does matter is that the vodka does technically help achieve the smooth silkiness of the sauce. It also—like other dishes with alcohol—helps underscore the flavor and aroma. Alcohol is a solvent for aromatic compounds, so it pulls the flavors out of the ingredients as they cook together, making the oregano more oregano-y and the tomatoes more tomato-y. As the vodka evaporates and its particles drift into the air above the food, the aromas rise up. Eating the dish gives your nose and mouth a heightened sense of pleasure that are owed to the technique and cooking time. 

Alcohol is also a great emulsifier, bonding (in this case) water and fat together. So the vodka helps maintain a cohesive texture, allowing the cream to blend with the tomato base in a tighter structure than, say, using wine because there’s more alcohol in vodka.

There is the science, and then there is the art. The recipe is art. Go make some.

Recipe: Cavatelli a la Vodka