During the COVID-19 lockdown, Ed Barrow created The Monday Pasta Club, a weekly online recipe page. Originally a pastry chef, Barrow rediscovered a pasta machine he was given for his twelfth birthday and put it to work. He posted a pasta recipe every Monday at 5 p.m. and built up a legion of fans, with more than 70,000 followers on Instagram and over 20,000 Website visits every month.
Now his book, “The Monday Pasta Club” (Kyle Books), showcases a wide variety of easy-to-follow pasta recipes. His Caramelized Shallot Tagliatelle showcases egg noodles and beautifully caramelized shallots. Using very low heat to cook the shallots along with garlic, vinegar, and a little light brown sugar, creates a mix that is irresistible with a tempting edge of sweetness.
Caramelized Shallot Tagliatelle
Yield: 2 servings
INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 ounces salted butter, divided use
Olive oil for frying
8 shallots, preferably banana shallots or French Echalion shallots, peeled, thinly sliced lengthwise
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 bay leaf
5 1/2 ounces tagliatelle (egg noodles)
4 tablespoons dry white wine
Leaves from 6 fresh thyme sprigs
2 1/2 ounces finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
1/2 lemon, for squeezing
Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
1. Add 1 ounce butter and a generous drizzle of oil to a large pan and place over a very low heat until melted. Add shallots, garlic, sugar, vinegar, and bay leaf. Cook very gently for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure contents don’t stick to the pan. Shallots should be extremely soft and caramelized, and a pale gold color.
2. Meanwhile put a large pan of well-salted water on high heat for boiling the pasta.
3. After the shallots have cooked for 30 minutes, add the tagliatelle to the boiling water and cook until al dente, following the package instructions as your guide. Meanwhile, increase temperature to medium-high under the shallot mixture; remove bay leaf and add wine to the mix. Stir well, let the wine bubble for a minute or so to evaporate the wine, scraping the pan to loosen any browned bits. Add remaining 1 1/4-ounce of butter and most of the thyme leaves; stir to combine.
4. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta cooking water and drain pasta. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water to the shallot mixture and stir to combine. Add Parmesan cheese and lemon juice to taste. Let the cheese melt into the top of the pasta before tossing over the heat for a minute, adding more water if needed to loosen the consistency and coat the pasta. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
5. Divide between 2 bowls and garnish with a little extra Parmesan and thyme leaves.
Source: “The Monday Pasta Club” by Ed Barrow (Kyle Books)
Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at CathyThomas Cooks.com.
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