Carmelized Shallot Pasta by Alison Roman

Recipe

Jul 19

Written By Gerard Richard

Caramelized Shallot Pasta by Alison Roman

**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 1/2 to 3/4 cup)**
10 **ounces of pasta**
1 **cup parsley, leaves and tender stems, finely chopped**
**Flaky sea salt**

Instructions:

Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add shallots and thinly sliced garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots have softened and caramelized, with golden-brown, fried edges, 15 to 20 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.
Add tomato paste and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring constantly to prevent scorching, until the tomato paste has started to cook in the oil a bit, caramelizing at the edges and turning from bright red to a deeper brick red, 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.)
To serve, cook the pasta according to the package instructions in a large pot of boiling salted water until very al dente (perhaps more al dente than usual). Transfer to a Dutch oven with the remaining shallot mixture (or a skillet if you are using the leftover portion) and 1 cup of 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 the pasta is thick and the sauce has reduced to a sticky consistency but not saucy, 3 to 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine parsley and finely chopped garlic clove, and season with flaky salt and pepper. Divide the pasta among bowls or transfer to one large serving bowl, then top with the parsley mixture and a bit more red pepper flakes, if you like.