Raise your hand if you think Korean-Italian cuisine is a match made in heaven!
I think the two cuisines complement each other and personally am obsessed with Korean flavours and love for spicy food and garlic!
This recipe came literally out of nowhere. I’d been wanting to make a vodka sauce (usually consisting of tomatoes, vodka and double cream) and as I was making it saw a box of gochujang in the cupboard and thought - why not?
I like to swap red peppers for tomatoes - I did it in my Arrabbiata sauce recipe a while ago. It gives a certain smokiness and sweetness to the sauce. This sauce has no tomatoes at all.
First make the sauce:
Red peppers - 2 large
Onion - 1 large
Gochujang - 1 heaped tbsp
Vodka - 50ml
Plant cashew cream - 100ml
Olive oil - 2 tbsp
Place peppers on an open flame or in the oven grill and roast on all sides until the skin has blackened. Transfer to a bowl and immediately cover with cling wrap to let them sweat. When they are cool to handle, remove skin, seeds and fibre and set aside.
Heat 1 tbsp of oil and add the chopped onion. Season with salt, add vodka and increase flame to max to let alcohol evaporate.
Allow it to cool down a little, then transfer to a blender along with the peppers and blend till smooth and creamy.
Add the remaining oil to the same pan and transfer the sauce to it again, adding the gojuchang and milk. Cook for another 5-7 minutes on medium low and covered, until the oil separates.
For the tagliatelle:
Durum wheat - 200g
Water - 100g
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Mix all ingredients and knead to a smooth dough. Rest for 10 minutes. Divide into 4 equal-sized balls, dust with flour and cover with a tea towel.
Take one piece of dough and knead with a rolling pin to 2mm thickness. Sprinkle more flour on top and roll the dough on its own. Cut into 1-2cm thick tagliatelle strips with a knife. Set aside on a floured surface. Repeat the same with the remaining dough.
Cook in salted boiling water for exactly 1 minute. Reserve 1/2 ladle of cooking water and add it to the sauce. Drain and stir in the sauce. Serve immediately.
