JCC Tomo-spiced karkana ribenes - the foodies' thread

This is going to sound like a weird question, but which vodka are you using -- because I have some recommendations on which definitely not to use.

 

Ohhh haven't picked it out yet, what are your no gos? Would love to hear.

 

@solojones You didn't report back on the steak au poivre; how did that go?

 

sounds like you've already had a couple, sj.

 

My understanding is that you want a neutral-grain vodka -- like absolutely not an actual potato vodka. Which also rules out things like Belvedere (rye), etc. It goes without saying not to use flavored, or high-end (since you're cooking it off).

So, I rarely get to make tomato sauces 'cause Mav hates tomatoes, but my best guess would be something like Russian Standard (wheat) or, oddly, Tito's (corn) -- I would default to wheat, or grain, but we know that corn alcohol makes a good sweet flavor (corn syrup) as well. Or something else in that or a lower price bracket.

 

I asked and my brother got her Svedka, the Swedish wheat vodka. So I think that should be ok.

 

I looked it up. It was a pretty unknown Swedish brand imported almost entirely into the US. They moved all production to the US but the wheat is Swedish

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svedka

But yes, SJ is correct. Was sort of Swedish, now fully American.

 

Don't need to spend that much for making pasta sauce; that's why I was pretty explicit about lower-cost vodkas within a certain quality range...

 

So, it used to be Swheatish, and now it's Cornish.

 

they even put a little swedish flag on the bottles

 

They removed that when they stopped making it in Sweden, which they used to.

In any case, it worked fine at its job of unlocking the alcohol soluble parts of the tomatoes. Good pasta.