Chili Crisp Tahini Pasta With Fried Shallots

• servings: 6 servings
• total time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

Fine salt

1 pound short, ruffled pasta, such as radiatore, cascatelli, reginetti or casarecce

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 large shallots (6 ounces total), very thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, finely grated or pressed

1/3 cup well-stirred tahini

3 tablespoons chili crisp, plus more for serving (see Notes)

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (see Substitutions)

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce (see Substitutions)

Directions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions until a little shy of al dente, about 2 minutes less than the low end of the range. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta cooking water, then drain. Return the pasta to the pot and cover to keep warm, off the heat.

While the water comes to a boil and the pasta cooks, set a large fine-mesh strainer over a medium heatproof bowl. Have a plate ready near your workspace.

In a large Dutch oven or high-sided skillet over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up the rings, until deeply browned and crispy, 10 to 12 minutes. Pour the oil and shallots through the strainer into the heatproof bowl, and shake the strainer to drain as much oil as possible. Transfer the shallots to the prepared plate and spread in an even layer. Reserve the oil; you’ll have a little less than 1/2 cup.

Return the Dutch oven or skillet to medium heat and pour in 2 tablespoons of the reserved shallot oil. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant and golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tahini, chili crisp, vinegar and soy sauce and whisk until smooth. Stir in 3/4 cup of the reserved pasta water and cook, stirring, until fragrant and thickened, about 2 minutes.

Add the pasta to the Dutch oven or skillet, along with another 3/4 cup of the pasta water, and toss until the pasta is evenly coated, with the sauce clinging to it but still pooling a little at the bottom of the pan. If the sauce seems too thick, add more pasta water, 2 tablespoons at a time. Remove from the heat and stir in half of the fried shallots. Taste, and season with salt if needed.

Transfer the pasta to a serving dish or individual bowls, top with the remaining fried shallots, drizzle with a little more chili crisp and serve hot, with more chili crisp on the side.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: Per serving (1 1/3 cups)
• Calories: 497
• Total Fat: 20 g
• Saturated Fat: 3 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg
• Sodium: 190 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 66 g
• Dietary Fiber: 5 g
• Total Sugars: 4 g
• Protein: 14 g