This. Sauce. Is. Everything. If you don't believe me, let me tell you that this recipe comes straight from an Italian... from Italy. So you can trust me when I say that this sauce is legit. *P.S. Thank you James and Campbell family for showing me how to make this pasta. I am not a chef who will post recipes without crediting the OG source... so thank you.
I have actually never heard of rosé sauce until last month. When it was first made for me, it kind of reminded me of vodka sauce. The rosé had the same pink tint and creamy texture that vodka sauce offers. The pink tint in both sauces usually comes from a mix of heavy cream and tomato puree (I used tomato paste in this recipe, but if you have tomato puree I recommend you use that). However, In my opinion rosé sauce offers a bigger depth of flavor then vodka sauce. When you take the first bite of this pasta soaked in the rosé sauce, you will be able to taste the gooey cheese, the fresh tomatoes, and of course the Peperoncino. Peperoncino is a dried pepper from Italy. This pepper adds that smokey and spicy flavor that really makes this dish. Unfortunately, peperoncino is extremely hard to find in America. You can find it on Amazon here, but it is crazy expensive. I recommend substituting peperoncino for crushed red pepper.
The only knife work required in this recipe is mincing garlic and roughly chopping tomatoes.
Mincing garlic: I used about 6 cloves of garlic. I use a a lot since I love all things garlic and want every bite to include that delicious flavor.
*Pro Tip: if you have a lot of garlic that needs mincing. I recommend throwing the peeled garlic cloves in a food processor and blitzing them until reaching the consistency that a regular mince will give you. this saves you a lot of time in the kitchen. If you aren't using a food processor, all you need is a chef's knife, and a stable surface.
TO MINCE GARLIC, use the top of your knife to whack the garlic. It should cause the garlic to release its skin and expose the clove. Have a "trash bowl" standing by to dump all of the garlic skins. Peel all of the garlic first before you begin mincing. After peeling, chop off the tip of all the garlic cloves and roughly slice all of the cloves. This will break down the garlic and make things easier when it comes to mincing. Once you finally get to mincing, make sure that one hand is griping your knife while the other is resting on top of your knife. The mincing motion should be minimal and quick so you can efficiently break down the garlic into the tiny minced shapes.
Pasta: While I was breaking down the garlic I had a large pot of *salted water on high heat.
Pro Tip: your pasta water should be as salty as the ocean.
Once the water reached a boil I threw in the Tagliatelle pasta and let it boil for about 7 minutes, making sure I frequently stirred it. After 7 minutes, I tasted the pasta to make sure it was al-dente.
Tomatoes: There is no special technique in chopping these tomatoes. All I did was break down the tomato into easy bite sized pieces.
Tagliatelle With Rosé Sauce
Yield: 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tomato, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 peperoncino, or 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 cans tomato paste, or 1 can tomato puree
1 pint heavy cream
1 pint shredded parmesan
1 pkg Tagliatelle pasta
1 large pot salted water
Instructions:
Heat the large pot of salted water until it reaches a boil.
Add in the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al-dente, about 7 minutes.
Simmer garlic and peperoncino in olive oil in a large pan until garlic is golden.
Add in tomato paste and stir until incorporated.
Fold in heavy cream.
Add Parmesan cheese and stir until evenly incorporated.
Shut heat off and add in tomatoes.
Drain pasta and save about 1/4 cup of pasta water.
Add sauce and pasta water to pasta and stir until sauce is evenly coated on the Tagliatelle.
Serve while still hot. Enjoy!