I immediately put this recipe at the top of my list. Rich, caramelized shallots coupled with funky tomato paste and anchovies make for a loud dish worthy of any menu, at home or in the fanciest of restaurants.

Time

60 minutes total
60 minutes active

Difficulty

Moderate

Yield

4 servings

Print

Equipment

• Dutch oven or similar heavy-bottomed pot

• Stock pot for pasta

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Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 6 shallots, sliced very thin
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• salt & pepper
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp anchovy paste
• 3/4 cup tomato paste
• 10 oz buccacini
• 1 cup chopped parsley

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Directions

1. Heat dutch oven over medium-low heat.

2. Add shallots and sliced garlic, and season with salt & pepper, and cook until shallots are soft and caramelized, about forty-five minutes.

3. Drop your pasta in extremely salty water, and cook according to the instructions. Pull it a minute or two early, so the pasta is very al dente. Save at least a cup of the pasta water!

4. While the pasta cooks, turn up the heat on the shallots to somewhere between medium and medium-high heat for about five minutes while stirring, to get some fond to develop at the bottom of your pan and to darken the edges of some of the shallots.

5. Add the red pepper flakes, anchovy paste, and tomato paste, and cook about three minutes until very fragrant. By now, your pasta should be ready.

6. Strain your pasta and add 1 cup of the pasta water to the shallots.

7. Cook three to five minutes, deglazing any bits of the sauce stuck to your pan.

8. Add the pasta back to the sauce and turn to low to simmer and finish the pasta. Stir occasionally.

9. Combine the parsley and minced garlic, and season with salt & pepper, and some more red pepper flakes, to taste.

10. Divide pasta across four bowls and garnish with parsley mixture.

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Notes

• Adapted from Alison Roman at NYT Cooking

• Alison’s recipe has you pack up half of the shallot mixture for a later use, but I just used the entirety of it for this recipe. I really loved the full flavor from using it all.

• You can easily take this sauce into the puttanesca territory by increasing the amount of anchovy paste. I love when things are that funky, but it’s not for everyone. You could also omit the anchovy paste entirely.