Recipe for pasta with homemade whisky-tomato sauce
Gentlemen’s Dinner: Pasta with homemade whisky tomato sauce featuring Highland Park 12 Years…
Recently, I was wildly inspired to create an incredibly delicious pasta dish, which I gave a twist with a good shot of whisky from one of my absolute favorite brands, “Highland Park.” I think it’s perfect for a real gentlemen’s night! Here is the recipe; I hope you like it.
My “alter ego” is Whiskytossen, which I often transform into. It’s mostly in the “odd weeks” when I don’t have the kids, and alcohol often finds its way to the table and into the food. I actually saw this dish in a press release and got completely hooked on making it. I can’t say I’m the creative inventor, but I have been inspired and made a few tweaks. It’s a super delicious tomato sauce that gets a shot of whisky to give it a bit of an edge. Additionally, it has chili, lots of depth, and a lovely Vesterhavsost on top.
You can really make it all year round, but right now it is particularly good. If you choose to make it in the winter, it becomes a real soul warmer.
The recipe comes from Sergio Paolo, who currently works at the Highland Park distillery as a Brand Ambassador. However, he is originally a chef and of course from wonderful Italy – hence this pasta dish. He has been part of the “San Carlo Restaurant Group,” which you might know. Naturally, a special thanks should be sent to him for this wonderful recipe.
Pasta with homemade whisky-tomato sauce
Ingredients
Pasta
- 400 gram Pasta
- 54 gram Salt
Tomato Sauce
- 1 can tomato sauce from “Il Fornaio” or Tomatoes Passata from Urtekram
- 200 gram Cherry Tomatoes fresh
- 200 gram Sour Cream 38% - preferably from Naturmælk
- 27 gram Olive Oil
- 200 gram Bacon organic
- 1 pcs. Chili fresh and red
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 8 gram Sugar
- 100 gram Whiskey Highland Park 12-year-old Whisky
- 1 handful Basil
- 100 gram cheese Vesterhavsost
- Salt and Pepper freshly ground
Instructions
TOMATO SAUCE
- Fry your bacon until crispy and golden in a sauté pan and set it aside, keeping the fat in the pan.
- Optionally, add a little extra oil to the sauté pan and heat it up.
- Grate, chop, or press the garlic, chop the chili, if you're a fan of heat, keep the stem and seeds.
- When it starts to bubble a bit, add the whisky and increase the heat.
- Call your family members to the kitchen because now it's showtime!
- Turn off the extractor fan and set the stuff on fire – receive your family members' cheers and recognition.
- Cut the tomatoes into smaller pieces and add them along with the canned tomatoes.
- Let it simmer under a lid for about 1 hour - it only gets better with time.
- Once it has reduced, add the crème fraîche and season with salt, pepper, and sugar.
PASTA
- Cook the spaghetti – and you need to do it right
- A large pot, lots of water, and salt.
- When the water is boiling, add the spaghetti (without breaking it) and let it sink into the water.
- Cook it for 7 minutes so it retains some bite.
- Toss the pasta with the tomato sauce.
- Serve with lots of freshly grated Parmesan and a few basil leaves.
- You shouldn't fear this dish because it contains whisky, as it becomes part of the dish and in no way strong. I choose to flambé it, even though that’s not in the original recipe. This means the alcohol burns off well and is not at all sharp or strong.If you are a whisky fan, you might think it’s over the top to use a Highland Park 12-year-old, which I can understand, but once in a while, it’s okay. However, I don’t think you should use an 18-year-old.