Cencioni Pasta With Caramelized Shallots In A Creamy Mushroom Sauce Recipes

CARAMELIZED SHALLOT PASTA

Steps:

• 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.
• 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 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.)
• 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.
• 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.

CENCIONI PASTA WITH CARAMELIZED SHALLOTS IN A CREAMY MUSHROOM SAUCE

Steps:

• First, begin the process of caramelizing the shallots. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter with the teaspoon of sugar in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallot pieces and stir so that the shallots are coated in the butter and sugar mixture. Lower the heat to low and continue cooking for 30 minutes, stirring every five minutes. If the shallot pieces appear to be drying out and getting crusty and hard, add a teaspoon or two of water to the pan and stir. Once the pieces have turned golden, remove them from the heat and set aside. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Saute the mushrooms in the butter for about 7 minutes until they turn a deeper, darker brown. Add the milk, wine, and sage, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. The sauce should thicken a bit. After the 20 minutes have passed, whisk in the cornstarch until completely combined, then mix in the salt, and set the mixture aside. Prepare the cencioni pasta according to the directions on the package, (note, this pasta takes a bit longer to cook than your usual pasta because of its thickness, so make sure you taste a piece before removing it from the stove top to ensure that it's done). Place the pasta in a large bowl and toss with the Devo mushroom & sage olive oil, mushroom sauce, 1/4 cup of the asiago cheese, and half of the caramelized shallots. Sprinkle the remaining cheese and caramelized shallots over the top and serve immediately.