And to someone stuck at home who doesn’t want all the fuss that can come with cooking, Roman is offering one less thing to worry about: what to eat. Snacks & Condiments; Vegetables; Salads; Pasta & Grains With Roman’s approach to food, she’s taken out all the guesswork and maximizes the ingredients she asks for. Follow NYT Food on Twitter and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest. You know, food is so subjective, and people want to tear it down if it’s become too popular. But sometimes, there are exceptions. May 1 Alison Roman's Caramelized Shallot Pasta. Her recipes are made to be simple, to be delicious, and even to be eaten alone. #thecookies (Photo: @melinahammer), A post shared by NYT Cooking (@nytcooking) on Dec 3, 2018 at 9:17am PST. On January 29, 2020, Roman posted a picture of the famed Pasta on Instagram. The more people posted about their attempts, the more it seemed like making it was a dare that couldn’t be ignored. There are so many young people sheltering place who live in major cities that have been shut down. And many of those people, including me, are used to frequently having lunch or dinner out or grabbing takeout. There have been a handful of cult-followed Alison Roman recipes on the NYT Cooking site, and this pasta was one of them a few months ago. I came across Alison Roman’s famous Caramelised Shallot Pasta via a blog comment where someone was having a moan about her (she’d said horrible things about Chrissy Teigen) but mentioned that this dish was incredible. “I really like doing nice things for people, and there’s so much I can’t do right now. Some aim to stop him. Follow NYT Food on Twitter and NYT Cooking on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Pinterest. The former pastry chef, who has a bi-weekly column in The New York Times, has seen a sudden surge in her famous recipes.. Her active social media presence, along with the viral-friendly aesthetic nature of her cookies and pasta and other dishes, encourages people to post their results and keep posting them. “People were like, is this better [than regular chocolate chip cookies]? Apr 18, 2020 - Hello pasta lovers. The Cookies. As a critic of unfortunately soft and too-saucy foods, the concept of baked pasta has never appealed to me. Figuring that she was a pastry chef and knowing how important looks are to pastries, I expected a different answer than the one she gave. She launched her YouTube channel on 11 October 2009. “On the one hand, I’m so happy to be ‘prom queen of the pandemic,’” Roman told me over the phone, wryly accepting the relationship between her surge in ubiquity and people being locked inside all day. Roman wants to teach people how to cook — simply, realistically, and confidently. Sorcery, I thought, as I fantasized what this sauce would be like on eggs, with sausage, on hearty fish, on toast. “I don’t want to ever be perceived as being a lazy cooker, cutting corners,” Roman said, citing her 15 years of experience. I threw together a giant pot of caramelized shallot pasta, enhanced, of course, with plenty of anchovies — I am nothing if not loyal to a theme and my own personal brand. Even after the economy recovers, advertising alone will never be enough to support it. Use both of them. And that kind of work takes resources. How I learned to stop worrying and love Alison Roman’s style of cooking. Thinking about Roman’s words, I flashed back to my own experience with the Pasta. But I don’t know anyone who could look at the picture above and not want one of those cookies in their mouth immediately. Spoon it over fried eggs or smear it onto thick toast. A byproduct of having so much hype is backlash — something that Roman seems to both welcome and view with chagrin. It makes me feel like I still have something to provide.”. “But on the other hand, are people going to forever associate me with the darkest time in their lives?”. And that the journey was beautiful. - The Stripe by Grace Atwood The 12 Days of Christmas: The story behind the holiday’s most annoying carol, How voice actors are fighting to change an industry that renders them invisible, One Good Thing: An amazing game played entirely via text message, 11 films to watch if you loved — or hated — Hillbilly Elegy, On the rebellious joy of a long, long movie dance scene, A bipartisan group of senators wants to pass emergency Covid-19 relief. What makes Roman’s cooking so appealing to everyone in this moment — not just her devout fan base — is that her recipes are simple. We are big fans of Alison Roman, of her outspoken attitude and dedication to an unfussy and flexible cooking style. Tomato paste is there for tanginess, and anchovies for saltiness, but they serve more as background flavors to the sweetness of the shallot. Soups, Stocks & Stews — view — Desserts & Baked Goods — view — Breakfast — view — Like Roman said it would, the mixture transformed into an unctuous, earthy, blanket of a sauce that elevated my humble ziti into primi piatti. Eventually, as I melted the tomato paste and anchovies into the shallots, I scanned the steps one more time and saw that Roman says to halve the paste to save for later. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Roman’s popularity will probably only increase during this pandemic as people look for good recipes with minimal ingredients and spend time on their screens and social media more than ever. How Alison Roman became the reluctant, pasta-loving “prom queen of the pandemic”. Her YouTube account has 11.5k subscribers and 378k views. Is it worth it? So, when her recipe for the tomato-y, shallot-y pasta you didn’t know you wanted made its first appearance in the New York Times, we couldn’t help but join the group of enthusiastic readers and give it a try. The Pasta isn’t famed for the noodles themselves. Alison Roman. In past interviews, she’s mentioned that the best parts of her experience working at famed eateries like New York’s Momofuku Milk Bar, Brooklyn’s Pies ‘n’ Thighs, and San Francisco’s Quince weren't giving diners the most memorable meals they’ve ever had (although that happened a lot, according to the restaurants’ reviews). Caramelized Shallot Pasta (Alison Roman) This pasta is all about the shallots, cooked down in a bath of olive oil to a jammy, caramelized paste. Nothing Fancy; Dining In; RECIPES. For those who didn’t know they wanted it: I promise, you do, and in this instance, I am happy to oblige. I had a quick Google and the ingredients jumped out at me. Help keep Vox free for all by make a contribution today. Roman says the recipe takes an approximate 40 minutes, equivalent to one episode of any Real Housewives franchise. Seriously, how dare she, but I had to make this dish and I’ve been making it regularly ever since. Since the quarantine began, I've realized that I am the proud owner of two bottles of crushed red pepper flakes and three bottles of dried oregano. the Pasta, that crystallizes her accessible approach to home cooking into one astonishingly delicious, efficient, and fast dish. Each time people weighed in on whether the famed cookies lived up to the massive hype — #TheCookie hashtag has more than 9,000 posts, the majority of which are Roman recreations; #TheCookies has over 6,000 posts, with Roman’s being the singular cookie. You’ll have leftover sauce, and that’s a good thing. And I think cooking, when done properly, is going to give you a beautiful result.”. The appeal lies in a glossy scarlet sauce conjured from a mountain of shallots, garlic, tomato paste, anchovy bodies, and pasta water. The running joke among fans of Garten’s TV shows is that she’ll instruct them to use something highly specific, like 30-year-old, Grey Goose-based, homemade vanilla extract, but then say “store-bought is fine” — that is, fine for the normies who could never dream of achieving Garten’s level of fabulousness. “I almost didn’t publish that, because I was like, ‘This is hideous,’” she says. ; Roman is facing backlash for comments she made in the article published Thursday, where she seemed to criticize the business model of home organizing expert Marie Kondo and said she is "horrified" by the "Cravings" empire created by Chrissy … I also added a few slivers of garlic to be toasted with the shallots; a whole tin of anchovies for meatiness, saltiness and thematic consistency; a bit of red pepper for spiciness and an entire tube of tomato paste that caramelized in the oil for sweetness and tanginess. (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.). 7. Thanks to the internet and social media, anything “cool,” including the Pasta, is just minutes away from being loved by fans and scrutinized by haters. It took a pandemic to change the movie business. “I’m not trying to win a competition,” she tells me. Trump’s pardon shenanigans are ramping up, Trump’s attempt to overturn the election result has sputtered out. It was shockingly good for the modest and limited ingredients involved, better than it should be, honestly. The details of her marriage and wedding are not known. The end result was a deeply savory, very sticky, fiery neon-orange paste that I quickly realized I wanted in my life all the time, pasta or not. We adapted the NYTimes recipe to the Gustiamo pantry and … We're here to walk you through Alison Roman's Caramelized Shallot Pasta recipe, which, is an absolute banger. newsletter. People were kind of mad about the cookies! Every Christmas Eve, my friends and I gather for a bacchanalian celebration, including anyone who sticks around for the holidays. May 24, 2020 - Hello pasta lovers. His lawsuits have flopped, certifications are proceeding on schedule, and state legislatures aren’t seriously trying to interfere. A huge chunk of that time is spent chopping up six shallots and stirring said shallots alongside garlic so they don’t burn. The Pasta. Transfer the cooked pasta to Dutch oven with the remaining shallot mixture and one cup of pasta water. I wanted to see if the recipe lived up to the hype and taste just how good it was, since everyone on my timeline had been talking about the Pasta like it was a rite of passage. There's power in understanding. 6 large shallots, very thinly sliced. Get regular updates from NYT Cooking, with recipe suggestions, cooking tips and shopping advice. “I’ve been calling these recipes ‘highly cookable,’ meaning they’re easy to shop for, simple to execute, and a joy to eat.”. Apparently, this shallot-garlic-anchovy jam was going to feed me for multiple meals, including the one I was having that night. this lady asked for a lot of shallots pic.twitter.com/24LlHVlCSQ. If you haven’t, help us keep our journalism free for everyone by making a financial contribution today, from as little as $3. To Alison Roman, however, store-bought is more than enough. That efficiency shouldn’t be mistaken for a lack of effort. To date, that post has more than 31,000 likes; Roman herself has over 513,000 followers. She’s a 34-year-old millennial living in Brooklyn whose home kitchen looks like it could maybe fit five people, standing shoulder to shoulder. If I just wrote recipes by request, this would be a column of strictly chickpea stews and sheet-pan chicken (not that there’s anything wrong with that!). Like, what the fuck is this? Alison Roman's New York Times column is "on temporary leave" following recent remarks the buzzy food writer made about Chrissy Teigen and Marie Kondo, a spokesperson for The New York Times confirmed to The Daily Beast on May 19.. Cook over medium-high heat, tossing the pasta with the shallot mixture to coat each piece of pasta, use a wooden spoon to scape up any bits at the bottom until the pasta is a thick sauce and is reduced and is sticky, but not saucy, 3 to 5 minutes. The same is now true of the Pasta, three years later. Each dish on the table was a bold, extremely fish-forward approach to the theme, so I wanted to have something that was more of a humble, mildly flavored, comforting, carby background dancer to the real stars of the show (fishes). Darn! The sauce is richer and less watery. How Alison Roman became the reluctant, pasta-loving “prom queen of the pandemic” How I learned to stop worrying and love Alison Roman’s style of … May 5, 2020 - Get the recipe: https://nyti.ms/37SVpHu Alison’s newest pasta recipe is as easy as caramelizing tons of shallots with garlic, tomato paste, red-pepper flakes... More information Alison Roman's Caramelized Shallot Pasta | NYT Cooking - YouTube NYT Shallot Pasta. “I never, ever [create a recipe] with the interest of it looking good,” she tells me and goes on to giggle while explaining the origin story of the cauliflower pasta recipe that she says she almost cut from her book, because it looked way less attractive than her usual blog-worthy fare. 10. The Caramelized Shallot Pasta Recipe created by as they call her the Patron Saint of Quarantine Cooking: Alison Roman. “I think that food is inherently beautiful,” she says, describing a perfectly browned, skin-on chicken thigh as an example. Cook, swirling occasionally, until the shallot and the lemon start But there are exceptions, and this is a story about an exception. 9. I initially wasn’t going to photograph them (I don’t really like posting pics of food online), but they were melting so beautifully that I felt the urge to show people that I, too, was embarking on the Roman pasta journey. My susceptibility to peer pressure finally did me in. If something’s delicious and looks good on Instagram, many more people will make it. It would apparently be something I wanted to, as Roman writes, smear onto “another batch of pasta or ... onto roasted vegetables, spooned over fried eggs or spread underneath crispy chicken thighs.”. I wrote it down and fell even more in love with its simplicity. Millions of people rely on Vox to understand how the policy decisions made in Washington, from health care to unemployment to housing, could impact their lives. “I think it’s a little lame, but, I think [teaching and cooking] really is, like, my love language — like, acts of servitude,” she told me. Alsion has a huge fan following on her social media. But while Garten-like dinner parties for fabulous friends might not be Roman’s reality, making food in a tiny space without a farmhouse sink or near-endless counter space is more relatable. Everyone is entitled to their own cookie preferences. If you’ve logged on to Instagram over the past two years, perhaps you’ve seen posts or stories from one of your friends’ attempts to make one of Roman’s iconic meals — a sunshine-yellow, turmeric-spiced stew; a brick-red jam of a pasta sauce; a stout, thick cookie sporting chunks of chocolate and the faintest flakes of sea salt. How to succeed in hyperpolarized politics: run a blitz. Makes 4 servings. So I think a lot of people made it because it was a social conversation: People wanted to weigh in on whether or not they thought it was better, and try it for themselves, go up against other cookies — it was a whole thing.”. It’s Roman’s famous caramelized shallot pasta, a.k.a. Olive oilLemonsFresh herbs (parsley/cilantro/dill)Alliums (garlic/shallot/onion)Dried or canned beans/chickpeasCanned tomatoes/tomato pasteCrushed red pepper flakesAnchoviesParmesanSoy sauceEggsYogurt/labne/sour creamPickles/kimchi for snacking https://t.co/Rob18a9Z0B. Trump wants to send $23 billion in advanced weapons to the Middle Eastern autocracy. 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 … Transfer to Dutch oven with remaining shallot mixture and 1 cup pasta water. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Those questions range from what to do with ground beef to the best way to cook rice to how to deal with leftovers. Let’s be clear: Alison Roman doesn’t take requests. If I were a better baker or had any interest in learning the magic of baking, I would want to try making them for myself. Roman may have summoned the monkey’s paw when she tweeted, on April 7, “Dear lord please let me get through this pandemic without a backlash, my shallot pasta popularity is … Dining In came out in October 2017, or two and a half years before dining in became a public-health requirement in America’s major metropolitan areas.. Roman’s second cookbook, Nothing Fancy, appeared last year and followed Dining In onto best-seller lists. She’s made herself accessible to burgeoning fans during quarantine on social media platforms like Twitter, where Roman has conducted Ask Me Anything sessions for people to raise any cooking questions they have. Alison Roman's recipe for the perfect pre-dinner bites, from her cookbook 'Nothing Fancy'. Roman also features people’s triumphant attempts to make her recipes on her own accounts. Caramelized Shallot Pasta. Why you can see Wonder Woman 1984 at home on Christmas Day. Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott for The New York Times. In fact, the 34-year-old’s recipes – such as the Caramelised Shallot Pasta, the sunshine-yellow chickpea stew, and the Instagram famous chocolate … Roman says there’s a slight caveat when it comes to beauty and food: Food naturally looks good, no matter what. Total time: 40 minutes. The official name of this recipe is Salted Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies, from @alisoneroman's Dining In cookbook. If things look a little dry, add 1/4 to 1/2 cup pasta cooking water and toss everything together. Garten lives in the ritzy beach town of East Hampton, New York, cooks in a beautiful kitchen, is always hosting dinner parties, and prefers to use the finest ingredients. Alison Roman arrived before we needed her — which is a minor piece of luck, in the grand scheme of things, but not nothing. Roman couldn’t have predicted this situation, nor that it would inspire many of us to cook from home with her help in particular. She pauses and lets her question linger in the air. PASTA WITH CREAMY SHALLOT SAUCE : Prep Time: 10 minutes. In order to minimize that risk, you should be as efficient as possible when you go to the store. It’s a highly photogenic shortbread and chocolate chunk cookie with sea salt flakes that thrived on social media and food-centric places online. But sometimes, there are exceptions. 5 garlic cloves (4 thinly sliced, 1 finely chopped) I felt shy about revealing how simple it was, as if I had tricked everyone into thinking I was more creative than I was (it’s called impostor syndrome, look it up), but I ultimately felt that the shallot mixture itself was delicious and useful enough to warrant a real-life recipe. Is the pandemic making people more generous — or more selfish. Last year, the theme was Feast of the Seven Fishes, but we were a bit ambitious and ended up with closer to 12 fishes (doesn’t quite have the same ring, does it?). We’re the ones who will always prefer recipes that are streamlined and don’t require tons of fridge space or tools (sorry, Ina) to ones that depend on the chaos of appliances, mixers, pots, and pans. As a general rule, I don’t take requests for recipes — not at home when I’m cooking for others, and not for this column. 8. ... Heat the olive oil, oregano sprigs, lemon slices and shallot in a medium frying pan over medium heat. This was the case despite many of my friends successfully making the Pasta in the past several weeks, all of whom documented their respective journeys on Instagram and praised the recipe afterward. 1. Add 75g of halved cherry tomatoes or 30g of chopped sun-dried tomatoes in and around the pasta. Let’s be clear: Alison Roman doesn’t take requests. Melissa Baroni. SKCC. Serves 4. But during this pandemic and the shelter-in-place directives in effect nationwide, Roman and her recipes have further exploded in popularity. In recent months, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, food writer Alison Roman has become a household name around the world. Garten is a Food Network icon, admired and envied by fans for her wealthy, elegant lifestyle and the delicious, butter-drenched food she makes. I’m sorry if that sounds harsh. “There was some contention around the cookies,” Roman told Vox in a 2019 interview. The subject of countless features. As an Ina Garten aficionado who’s been taught that good home-cooked meals take at least an hour and a chunk of a paycheck, I was initially skeptical about this internet-famous recipe. “But, like, if something were bad, why would everyone be talking about it?”. Most of her other staples, save for maybe kimchi, are usually in stock at any grocery. Get the recipe: https://nyti.ms/37SVpHu Alison’s newest pasta recipe is as easy as caramelizing tons of shallots with garlic, tomato paste, red-pepper flakes, and, naturally, anchovies. So I think that just being able to help people [cook], as a thing I can do, it makes me feel useful. Let’s be clear: Alison Roman doesn’t take requests. It’s not better than this way, is my rationale.”. Back in 2017, Roman achieved social media fame thanks to a cookie — the Cookie. Historically, I have not loved pasta with red sauce, but this is certainly a step up. I asked Roman how the aesthetics of food factor into recipe-making. “I think that ingredients are gorgeous. And it still is one of [my] most popular recipes of the past year.”. Roman recipes are built around a few core ingredients that you may already find in your pantry. There were emails and texts from those who had eaten it, direct messages and comments on the internet from those who had seen it. (I don’t love having an open tin of anchovies or tomato paste, so I appreciate recipes that use the whole thing.). Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium high. Roman has said that the sauce’s appearance reminds her of Spaghettios, but that the depth of flavor is as good as, if not better than, your typical marinara sauce. The photogenic aspect of Roman’s recipes is crucial, in that no one wants to share they made an inelegant cookie, messy stew, or unsightly pasta sauce. The Stew. Grocery trips in the age of coronavirus are daunting, because any trip outside of your home increases your risk of being exposed. But if it wasn’t good, it would never have become popular.”. People talk about pastry chef turned Bon Appétit editor turned New York Times food columnist Alison Roman’s recipes like they talk about pop stars. Here’s where to donate your money. Want to help animals? The battle over Trump’s huge UAE arms deal, explained. Alison Roman's recipe for the perfect finger food to start a dinner party with. Reader, everyone requested this recipe, which, no, doesn’t happen each time I cook, thank you very much. “It’s like a bowl of creamy beige bullshit. Alsion Roman has worked as a pastry chef in several locations such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City. “The recipes in this book follow my general approach, in that I would never ask you to toast nine different hard-to-locate spices on a Monday after work, and I’d never suggest you make something that takes two-and-a-half hours if there were a simpler and equally delicious way to do it in one,” Roman writes in the introduction of her 2017 cookbook Dining In. “I think the reason I am able to do all that is because I already know the outcome of doing it the hard way. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. People who were more daring than me wanted to see for themselves whether the Cookies tasted as good as they looked. We’re sharing a cookie recipe here every day until Christmas. I wanted it in a jar kept in my fridge forever. And in turn, more and more people see the food she’s making — especially on platforms like the New York Times Cooking’s Instagram with its 2.1 million followers — and want to try it for themselves. Prop Stylist: Kalen Kaminski. 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. The Tomato-y, Shallot-y Pasta You Didn’t Know You Wanted. This caramelized shallot dish can be served with any pasta you please. She’s not just a familiar name to readers of The New York Times Cooking section; she’s also a social media mainstay, with her recipes seemingly everywhere, shared and photographed by almost everyone you know. Our work is well-sourced, research-driven, and in-depth. Rather, Roman loved mentoring the kitchens’ rookies. Prop Stylist: Kalen Kaminski. Most of the cooking happens in one or two pots, and there’s hardly ever extra cleanup beyond washing the cutting board and a few dishes. It’s shown here with perciatelli. That comes through in her recipes and her cookbooks as well as the image she’s cultivated during this pandemic. 17 Tips for Alison Roman’s Shallot Pasta Recipe Pasta.com Team - November 23, 2020 0 There aren't many pasta dishes that we categorize as life-changing, but Alison Roman's shallot pasta might be one of … Sure, the temptation to give people exactly what they want is always there, but ultimately I’m not certain that does anyone any favors. But you probably know them as just "The Cookies” or “Those Viral Cookies You Saw On Instagram 487 Times Then Decided To Try For Yourself And Then Discovered That Yes, They Are Actually That Good." Mains. Time in the kitchen is the best therapy. Roman doesn’t cook to entertain or impress others, or as a rare special occasion. I’ve done it the hard way. Roman’s recipes are the singular, ultimate form. Leave the pot uncovered and … Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott for The New York Times. ¼ cup olive oil. Get our newsletter in your inbox twice a week. If something’s delicious, people will make it. Trudging on with guarded optimism, I added the pasta and a cup of reserved pasta water to the jam. If you have already made a contribution to Vox, thank you. Sign up for the This caramelized shallot dish can be served with any pasta you please. Despite the countless forms of pasta, stews, and cookies, Roman’s fans don’t need to look for anything beyond their general name. Fans of the Pasta have used the hashtag #ThePasta, which pulls up more than 900 tagged posts, to show off their own attempts to recreate the dish. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. But her influence has been building since she published her first cookbook, Dining In, in 2017 and her 2019 follow-up, Nothing Fancy, and her wide presence across the internet exemplifies what makes her and her recipes so beloved, regardless of circumstance. This recipe is one I found to be a comforting, Italian dish. As an infrequent cook in my kitchen, I am sure some of my friends figured that if someone as allergic to cooking as I am can make delicious shallot-and-anchovy pasta look beautiful, then they could easily do it themselves. In a world where there’s so much uncertainty, quarantine or no, the fewer decisions one has to make, the better. While it seems like so many people are talking about Roman’s recipes right now, this isn’t Roman’s first mainstream breakthrough. “Maybe you don’t like it, but that doesn’t mean that it’s not good. Dear lord please let me get through this pandemic without a backlash, my shallot pasta popularity is all I have in these dark times https://t.co/KIot7tw7OB. A full tube of tomato paste is also added to the sauce. So they tried making them over and over, and photographed them over and over and over. Get the recipe at the link in our profile. And there are worse things than a little resentment — like a bad pasta sauce. We're here to walk you through Alison Roman's Caramelized Shallot Pasta recipe, which, is an absolute banger. Add the shallots and stir to combine and coat pasta in butter. The United States is a free country. My Favorite Alison Roman Recipes. My friend Rebecca is the one who brought this wildly popular Alison Roman recipe to my attention. So for those who wanted it, here you go. Until my dying day, I pledge my sword and shield to the one and only Ina “Barefoot Contessa” Garten. If pasta is done, add drained pasta to the mushrooms (reserve some of the pasta cooking water) and cook over medium heat. Alison Roman, an author and food columnist for The New York Times, was interviewed by The New Consumer about how she wants to grow her brand. I’ve done it with more ingredients, I’ve done it with more time, I’ve done it with more staff. And it definitely looked beautiful, even with my ziti. The shallots are cooked down, then paired with red-pepper flakes and a whole can of anchovies. Roman also lives in Brooklyn, and has said she calibrated her techniques for people who don’t have elaborate kitchens or pantries, and people with tiny sinks — like a lot of people in New York City or any other major metropolitan area. When I made it, I realized that shallots (one of Roman’s staples) are aesthetically superior to onions, because they’re cute and purple. And with her star rising once again, Roman’s renewed clout has been ripe for parody, or at least Twitter jokes. I did want to coat pasta in it, but I also wanted to smear it onto thick, oily toast, spoon it over my fried eggs, or drag roasted chicken through it. There are 10 official ingredients in the dish and household staples — olive oil, pasta (any kind works), garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and tomato paste — make up the majority of them. Roman is the realist inverse of Garten. I decided to try making the Pasta — to eat it and understand it. Well for me it is. And there’s a premium on ingredients that have multiple purposes, especially since a grocery’s inventory at this time can be so unpredictable. The sauce itself was made with an obscene amount of shallots, fried in a generous pool of olive oil until caramelized and delightfully golden brown, melted into a jammy pile.