Caramelized Shallot Pasta Recipe • 5★

Published January 28, 2020

Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott for The New York Times. Prop Stylist: Kalen Kaminski.

7:21Credit...The New York Times and Scott Loitsch

This pasta is all about the shallots, cooked down in a bath of olive oil to a jammy, caramelized paste. Tomato paste is there for tanginess, and anchovies for saltiness, but they serve more as background flavors to the sweetness of the shallot. This recipe makes enough caramelized shallot mixture for a double batch of pasta, or simply keep it refrigerated to spoon over fried eggs, or to serve underneath crispy chicken thighs or over roasted root vegetables like carrots or sweet potatoes.

Featured in: The Tomato-y, Shallot-y Pasta You Didn’t Know You Wanted

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¼ cup olive oil

6 large shallots, very thinly sliced

5 garlic cloves, 4 thinly sliced, 1 finely chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste

1 (2-ounce) can anchovy fillets (about 12), drained

1 (4.5-ounce) tube or (6-ounce) can of tomato paste (about ½ to ¾ cup)

1 cup parsley, leaves and tender stems, finely chopped

Step 1Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium high. Add shallots and thinly sliced garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots have become totally softened and caramelized with golden-brown fried edges, 15 to 20 minutes.

Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium high. Add shallots and thinly sliced garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots have become totally softened and caramelized with golden-brown fried edges, 15 to 20 minutes.

Step 2Add red-pepper flakes and anchovies. (No need to chop the anchovies; they will dissolve on their own.) Stir to melt the anchovies into the shallots, about 2 minutes.

Add red-pepper flakes and anchovies. (No need to chop the anchovies; they will dissolve on their own.) Stir to melt the anchovies into the shallots, about 2 minutes.

Step 3Add tomato paste and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly to prevent any scorching, until the tomato paste has started to cook in the oil a bit, caramelizing at the edges and going from bright red to a deeper brick red color, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer about half the mixture to a resealable container, leaving the rest behind. (These are your leftovers to be used elsewhere: in another batch of pasta or smeared onto roasted vegetables, spooned over fried eggs or spread underneath crispy chicken thighs.)

Add tomato paste and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly to prevent any scorching, until the tomato paste has started to cook in the oil a bit, caramelizing at the edges and going from bright red to a deeper brick red color, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer about half the mixture to a resealable container, leaving the rest behind. (These are your leftovers to be used elsewhere: in another batch of pasta or smeared onto roasted vegetables, spooned over fried eggs or spread underneath crispy chicken thighs.)

Step 4To serve, cook pasta according to package instructions in a large pot of salted boiling water until very al dente (perhaps more al dente than usual). Transfer to Dutch oven with remaining shallot mixture (or a skillet if you are using the leftover portion) and 1 cup pasta water. Cook over medium-high heat, swirling the skillet to coat each piece of pasta, using a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any bits on the bottom, until pasta is thick and sauce has reduced and is sticky, but not saucy, 3 to 5 minutes.

To serve, cook pasta according to package instructions in a large pot of salted boiling water until very al dente (perhaps more al dente than usual). Transfer to Dutch oven with remaining shallot mixture (or a skillet if you are using the leftover portion) and 1 cup pasta water. Cook over medium-high heat, swirling the skillet to coat each piece of pasta, using a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any bits on the bottom, until pasta is thick and sauce has reduced and is sticky, but not saucy, 3 to 5 minutes.

Step 5In a small bowl, combine parsley and finely chopped garlic clove, and season with flaky salt and pepper. Divide pasta among bowls, or transfer to one large serving bowl, and top with parsley mixture and a bit more red-pepper flakes, if you like.

In a small bowl, combine parsley and finely chopped garlic clove, and season with flaky salt and pepper. Divide pasta among bowls, or transfer to one large serving bowl, and top with parsley mixture and a bit more red-pepper flakes, if you like.

I'm surprised at the medium-high heat recommended for caramelizing the shallots. In my experience, shallots are much more sensitive to cooking temperature than onions — and are prone to burn if cooked too quickly. I'd suggest turning the heat down just as soon as the shallots have begun to sizzle a bit — otherwise they'll be burned well before they've fully caramelized.

You could replace anchovies with a kalamata olive tapenade and/or reconstitute some sun-dried tomatoes in water and fine chop.

As one of the Instagram messengers who asked for this — with zero expectation —thank you times a million!

For those asking for an anchovy substitute, that’s kinda like reading a recipe for olive oil cake and then asking what can be used instead. I’d try with a smaller amount Of anchovies — even just 1 or 2 — and work your way up. Cooked like this they somehow both disappear into subtlety while exploding with savoriness. I used to think I hated anchovies, but I don’t anymore thanks to Alison.

Tell me more about step 3…

First time cooking this, my wife and teenage son were inhaling it and without looking up my son said, “This is amazing, you have to teach me to make this.” Delighted, I said, “Oh buddy it’s really simple, you just need tomato paste, garlic, shallots, and a tin of anchovies.” As soon as they heard there were anchovies, they both dropped their forks and literally couldn’t eat another bite. They’re not vegetarians or anything, but unexpected fish was more than they could stomach.

I have cooked it five times since, and they love it. I just call it “shallot pasta,” and put the anchovies in when they’re not looking. If they ever stop eating fish I’ll change my evil ways. Until then, eat up my loves. Eat up.

Rather than refrigerate half of the sauce to use for later, I use the entire batch of sauce with a whole pound of bucatini and 1.5 cups of the pasta water. It’s a bit saucier than the original (which I prefer) but is delicious and enough for leftovers!

Source: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020830-caramelized-shallot-pasta