Caramelized Shallot Sauce
I tried this by Alison Roman after seeing it featured in the New York Times. It’s quickly become a favorite in our house.
The shallots are the star in this sauce, they give a delicious, subtle sweetness to the sauce complimented by the saltiness from the anchovies and the bright tanginess of the tomato paste. For the pasta, I like to use spaghetti or bucatini, but any pasta will work.
Leftovers?
The recipe makes enough shallot sauce for 8 servings of pasta. Use ½ and refrigerate the rest. It is delicious spread on some grilled bread, topped with a few shaves of parmesan and chopped basil as a crostini or as Alison Roman recommends spooned over fried eggs, served underneath crispy chicken thighs or over roasted root vegetables.
I like to thin a bit of the sauce and use along with some black olives for a focaccia topping.
See recipe: Homemade Focaccia Bread
Equipment
- large heavy bottom Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 6 large shallots very thinly sliced (will yield approximately 3 cups sliced shallots)
- 5 garlic cloves 4 thinly sliced,1 finely chopped for the garnish
- 1 2 ounce can anchovy fillets (about 12), drained
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes plus more for the garnish if you like
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 4.5 ounce tube or (6 ounce) can of tomato paste
- 10 ounces pasta
- 1 cup Parsley leaves and tender stems, finely chopped
- Flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottom Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the shallots and thinly sliced garlic, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots have become totally caramelized with golden brown edges, approximately 20 minutes.
- Add the anchovies and red-pepper flakes. Stir until the anchovies have melted into the shallot mixture, approximately 2 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste. Cook, stirring constantly to prevent the tomato paste from scorching, until the tomato paste is caramelized at the edges and has gone from bright red to a deeper brick red colour, approximately 2 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
- Remove from the heat and place ½ the mixture in a resealable container (leftovers for another use).
- Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until slightly more al dente then you normally would. Reserve one cup of the pasta water. Add the al dente pasta to the Dutch oven with the shallot mixture and the cup of reserved pasta water. Cook over medium-high heat, tossing until each strand of pasta is coated and sauce has deduced to a sticky, not saucy consistency. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up any bits on the bottom. Approximately 3 – 5 minutes.
- Combine the parsley and finely chopped garlic, season with salt and pepper. If you like a little more heat add a bit some red-pepper flakes. Divide the pasta among 4 bowls, or transfer to one large serving bowl, and top with the parsley mixture.