Caramelized Onion Fettuccine with Smoked Cherry Tomatoes and Pickled Raisins
Impress your dinner guests with this caramelized onion fettuccine with smoked cherry tomatoes and pickled raisins. This pasta is fully flavored and goes great with a big hunk of vegan garlic bread. Nut-free and soy-free vegetarian recipe.
1/8tspliquid smoke(if not smoking the cherry tomatoes)
8ozdry fettuccine
pickled raisins(above)
salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes(to taste)
extra virgin olive oil(for serving)
fresh parsley(for serving, optional)
Instructions
For the cherry tomatoes:
Use a very sharp knife to poke a hole in every cherry tomato (this is so that they don't explode).
Place the tomatoes on a sheet of aluminum foil. Roll the edges up around them to form a mostly-closed vessel with a small opening at the top. The exact shape is not important, as long as the tomatoes can't fall out.
SMOKER OPTION: Place the foil vessel directly onto the rack of a heated wood smoker. Smoke for 20-40 minutes, depending on preference for amount of smokiness.
OVEN OPTION: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the foil vessel on a baking sheet and cook for 30-45 minutes, or until tomatoes are soft, juicy and shrunken slightly. Try to check them every 5 minutes starting from the 30 minute mark.
For the caramelized onions:
Warm the olive oil in a skillet, add the sliced onions, and stir. Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the onions have softened.
Add the garlic and stir. Reduce the heat to low and spread out the onions on the pan so that as many of them as possible are touching it directly. Cook, stirring infrequently, until the onions are brown and significantly reduced in size, 30-40 minutes.
Add the white wine and water to deglaze the pan, and continue cooking on low heat until the liquid has evaporated.
For the pickled raisins:
Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, fennel seeds, and dried thyme. Stir frequently, cooking until the spices start to darken slightly, 1-2 minutes.
Add the water, vinegar, lemon juice, raisins, and salt, and stir. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the raisins have taken on a tangy and piquant flavor, 10-15 minutes. Leftover pickled raisins keep well in the fridge.
For the caramelized onion fettuccine:
Cook the fettuccine to al dente in lightly salted water according to package instructions. Drain the pasta (but do not rinse), reserving 1 cup of pasta water.
Over medium-high heat, add the cherry tomatoes and white wine (and liquid smoke if using) to the caramelized onion mixture, and cook until the wine has mostly cooked off. Add the cooked fettuccine to the pan, along with 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta water. Use tongs to toss the fettuccine with the caramelized onions, tomatoes, and drained pickled raisins to taste (3 tbsp is a good place to start).
Gradually add more pasta water as needed to create a thin sauce to coat the pasta, tossing to coat. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Fold in a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and serve with fresh basil or parsley, if desired.
Notes
Here's how I organized my time to make this pasta come together as quickly and easily as possible (the recipe instructions are also in this order):FIRST: Prep the cherry tomatoes and get them going in the oven or smoker (hands-off). SECOND: Prep and start the caramelized onions (hands-off once the garlic is stirred in). THIRD: Prep and start the pickled raisins (hands-off once the mixture is brought to a simmer). All three components are now cooking hands-off and you can check on all of them periodically. FOURTH: Once the tomatoes and raisins are done, you can set them aside. When the caramelized onions are almost done, you can start the water boiling for the pasta. FIFTH: As the caramelized onions finish cooking, transition directly into the pan sauce while the pasta cooks, and follow the instructions to finish the dish from there.Another good option is to make the tomatoes and the pickled raisins in advance. The caramelized onions can also be done ahead of time.