Caramelized Shallot Pasta
Published January 28, 2020
Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott for The New York Times. Prop Stylist: Kalen Kaminski.
- Total Time
- 40 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
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)
10 ounces pasta
1 cup parsley, leaves and tender stems, finely chopped
Flaky sea salt
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
84 grams carbs; 12 milligrams cholesterol; 546 calories; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 16 grams fat; 9 grams fiber; 874 milligrams sodium; 19 grams protein; 17 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
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 2
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 3
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 4
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 5
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.
Private Notes
Comments
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.
I think I’ve figured out why people have such different experiences with the amount of anchovy flavor in this recipe. If you use cured anchovies, the taste is quite strong (arguably overpowering, at this amount). But if you use fresh anchovies, the flavor is mild. On top of that, there are different anchovy species with different flavor profiles. For vegetarians or people with fish allergies, you could substitute dried mushrooms (rehydrated), sun dried tomatoes, increase the garlic by a few cloves, or add capers at the end. It’s not going to be the same result, but will still be delicious.
This was great! What put it over the top was adding thin crispy bacon when serving (pancetta would be great too) It is really critical to follow the instructions and cook down the sauce until it becomes ‘sticky’. We first tried the pasta when the sauce still had some moisture but all of it was sticking to the noodles (I wouldn’t normally consider that saucy, but in retrospect it was relatively “saucy”). I then cooked it slightly longer and the sauce became fairly dry and more ‘sticky’, and that made a big difference. I used anchovy paste (1/2 tsp per anchovy— so 6 tsp of anchovy paste total) and used spaghetti as that was all I had— it was excellent!
I think if anchovies aren’t your thing then this recipe isn’t going to be for you no matter how highly rated it is. I used anchovy paste because that’s what my grocery store had. I also added sliced mushroom and a bunch of parmigiana to it as well as extra red pepper flakes. Despite those additions the fishy taste is still pretty front and center for me. So if you’re trying this recipe out for the incredible reviews but you aren’t a fan of that “fish smell” this recipe won’t be for you and you’ll just be wasting money. For someone else though I’m sure they would find this recipe delicious.