Pasta with Caramelized Shallots

 This recipe is originally from the New York Times.  SP called it a keeper but made some modifications to it. It was then decided that this would be a terrific base for Puttanesca Sauce.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/3 cup olive oil, plus more as needed

6 large shallots, sliced very thin

5 garlic cloves - 1 finely chopped and 4 thinly sliced

Salt and Pepper to taste

Red pepper flakes - Aleppo would be excellent. 

3 teaspoons anchovy paste (or more)

6 ounces tomato paste

10 ounces linguini

1 cup parsley leaves, finely chopped

Sea salt

Process

1. Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot or a Dutch oven. 

2. Add shallots and thinly sliced garlic and season with salt and pepper. 

3. Cook, stirring, until the shallots are soft and have caramelized with golden brown edges - roughly 15 to 20 minutes. 

4. Add the red pepper flakes and anchovy paste. Stir until it all melts. 

5. Add tomato paste and season, again, with salt and pepper. 

6. Cook, stirring to prevent scorching, until the tomato paste has cooked int he oil and caramelized a bit, getting a deeper color, about 2 minutes. 

7. Cook your pasta. Reserve ~1 cup of the pasta water  and use as needed to thin the sauce. Use some EVO to achieve desired consistency.