Two Shots of Vodka with Some Hot + Spicy Hors D’oeuvres

TGIF, am I right? If you missed Monday’s post, Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita is the Lit Kitch book of the week. Luckily for us, Bulgakov offers some great advice for those who happen to accidentally overindulge, just in time for the weekend. Although technically the advice comes from the devil, so, you know, grain of salt.

“Follow the wise old rule: cure like with like. The only thing that will restore you to life is two shots of vodka with some hot and spicy hors d’oeuvres.”

The Master and Margarita

Some Unholy Hors D’oeuvres

In the book, the particular hors d’oeuvres the devil provides for his overindulgent soon-to-be victim include caviar, white marinated mushrooms, and sausages in tomato sauce, along with the aforementioned vodka. I found some caviar (not the fancy kind) at the grocery store, and followed this recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen for the marinated mushrooms.

Which leaves the sausages and tomato sauce. Now, as these are hors d’oeuvres, I suspect Bulgakov was talking about something more akin to cocktail sausages. However, I wanted something a little more substantial that I could serve as a main course. Also I was not thrilled by the idea of using something called “Lil’ Weenies” as the main ingredient in one of my very first recipes on this blog.

Vodka is not just for drinking!

My inspiration for this recipe comes in part from a creamy tomato sauce that seems to be popular with Russian meatballs. But I also added some jalapenos to really emphasize the “hot and spicy” part, and I threw some vodka into the sauce (because Russia).

That’s right, we’re putting vodka IN the sauce! How versatile is vodka! You can drink it! Cook with it! Clean with it! Apparently it can be used for various medicinal purposes! Seriously, just Google it. You’ll be using vodka as a three-in-one deodorant, mouthwash, and window cleaner in no time. Or not.

The Ingredients

1. The sausage. You could use any kind of sausage here, but I went with sweet Italian to pair with the spiciness of the sauce. Who doesn’t like some sweet heat?
2. The vegetables. Using onion and carrot gives the sauce some slightly sweet undertones. You can chop both in the food processor at the same time, then remove to chop the jalapenos. The jalapenos that my husband and I grew this year turned out freakishly spicy, so I removed about half the seeds before food processing them, but you can adjust this based on how much heat you want.
3. The Saucy Stuff. It’s sausages in tomato sauce so obviously you need tomatoes. Just regular crushed tomatoes will do, along with some tomato paste to really kick up the tomato flavor. The vegetables, garlic, and the fat from the sausages round out the taste. The heavy cream will give it a delicious richness.
4. The Other Saucy Stuff. I’m talkin’ about the vodka. Adding vodka to this sauce won’t get you drunk, or make you cringe like you just threw back a shot at a college frat party, but it will help the tomato sauce and the cream blend together nicely.
5. The Garnishes. Some fresh chopped basil and a sprinkle of grated parmesan add the finishing touches.
6. The sides. You are going to end up with more sauce than sausage, so serve it over some pasta or with some crusty bread to sop up the saucy goodness. I served it with some rustic Italian bread brushed with olive oil, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper and thrown on the grill for a few minutes on each side.

The Recipe

Chop the Vegetables. In a food processor, chop the onion and carrot together until finely chopped. Remove and set aside. Remove any unwanted seeds from the jalapenos (based on the spice level you want), and chop in food processor.

Cook the Vegetables. Sauté the onion and carrot together in a pan with olive oil, until tender. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the tomato paste. Using a wooden spoon, stir until mixed with the vegetables.

Add the Tomatoes. Add the crushed tomatoes, jalapenos, salt and pepper, and stir until well mixed.

Pour in the Liquid. Stir in the vodka and heavy cream until combined. Let simmer 10 minutes.

Brown the Sausages. You can start this step while the sauce is simmering. Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat, then add the sausages. Sear the sausages until browned on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from heat.

Add the Sauce. Make sure you remove the dutch oven from the heat before pouring the sauce into it. The dutch oven gets extremely hot, and if it is still over heat there is a risk of the sauce bubbling up and spewing out as soon as you pour it in there, which can get messy! Slowly pour the sauce into the dutch oven, covering the sausages. Stir the pot a little until everything is well combined.

Cover and Bake. Put the lid on the dutch oven and bake in oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Garnish and Serve. Remove from oven. Garnish with fresh basil and grated parmesan. Serve with crusty bread or over pasta. Best served with caviar, marinated mushrooms, and chilled vodka. Or so the devil says.

This is a really easy but delicious recipe, perfect to throw together on a Friday night! Enjoy, and check back Monday for the next Lit Kitch book of the week!

Hot and Spicy Sausages in Tomato Sauce

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Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Serves: 5 Prep Time: 5 min Cooking Time: 1 hour 1 hour Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 1 medium carrot
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 jalapenos
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 tablespoons vodka
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 5 sweet Italian sausages
• grated parmesan and fresh basil to garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Chop onion and carrot in a food processor until finely chopped. Remove and repeat with jalapenos.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and carrot and sauté until softened, about 5-8 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and sauté another minute.
5. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine.
6. Add the crushed tomatoes, jalapenos, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
7. Add the vodka and heavy cream and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium low and let simmer 10 minutes.
8. While the sauce is simmering, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sausages and brown on each side, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove from heat.
9. Slowly pour the sauce over the sausages and stir until everything is well combined.
10. Put lid on dutch oven and place in oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
11. Remove from heat, stir, and serve.
12. Garnish with grated parmesan and fresh basil, and serve with crusty bread or over pasta.

Did You Make This Recipe?

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