Spaghetti alla cipolla rossa di Tropea
Tropea-onion spaghetti with Calabrian pecorino
At Tropea, thinly sliced red onion softens slowly into a pasta sauce, losing its raw sharpness while keeping its sweetness. Long pasta is the right vehicle: it catches the softened rings and the little pool of starchy liquid beneath them.
Around Tropea, onion pastas may bring in cherry tomatoes, anchovies, olives, or seafood. Onion and cheese also make a familiar pairing, with a little chile and basil sharpening the sweetness.
The finish should be glossy rather than creamy. A little pasta water turns the onion's juices and olive oil into a coating, and aged pecorino is stirred in only after the heat is off. The onion supplies sweetness, the chile gives a short pulse of heat, and the cheese provides the salt and edge.
Ingredients
For the spaghetti
- 500 g(about 1.1 lb)Cipolla Rossa di Tropea Calabria IGP, peeled and very thinly sliced (see note)
- 45 ml(3 tbsp)extra-virgin olive oil
- 1small fresh Calabrian chile, thinly sliced, or less to taste
- 350 gdried spaghetti
- 50 gfinely grated Pecorino del Monte Poro DOP
- 8small basil leaves, torn
- fine sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Kitchen notes
- Cipolla Rossa di Tropea Calabria IGP
- Use onions bearing the full protected name and IGP mark when possible; the designation is traceable to its Calabrian production area. Look at a specialty Italian market or a reputable online Italian-food seller rather than assuming every red onion sold as “Tropea style” is the real product. The protected onions have the sweetness and tenderness this preparation depends on.
- Pecorino del Monte Poro DOP
- Use the firm, grateable aged form of this Calabrian sheep's-milk cheese. Do not use soft fresh pecorino or pre-grated shelf-stable powder, which will not give the same sharp, dry finish.
- Fresh Calabrian chile
- The chile should sharpen the onion, not dominate it. Its heat varies much more than a measured teaspoon of dried flakes, so start with a small fresh chile and adjust at the table rather than forcing a false precision.
Method
Soften the onion without browning it
- Warm the olive oil in a wide skillet over low heat. Add the sliced onion, chile, and a small pinch of salt, then turn until coated. Add 60 ml (¼ cup) water, cover, and cook gently, stirring now and then, until the onion is collapsed, tender, and still bright rather than browned, 12–15 minutes. If the pan dries before the onion softens, add another spoonful of water.
Cook the spaghetti and marry it to the onions
- Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in well-salted boiling water until 2 minutes short of the package time. Reserve 240 ml (1 cup) of the cooking water, then transfer the spaghetti directly to the skillet. Toss over medium heat, adding cooking water a splash at a time, until the strands are al dente and the onion juices, oil, and starch make a loose glossy coating, about 2 minutes. The sauce should cling to the pasta but still pool lightly at the bottom of the pan.
Finish off the heat
- Take the skillet off the heat. Add the pecorino, basil, and several grinds of black pepper, then toss vigorously, loosening with another spoonful of pasta water if the cheese tightens the sauce. Taste before adding more salt: both the pasta water and pecorino are already seasoned. Serve immediately in warm shallow bowls.