Carbone Spicy Rigatoni Copycat Recipe

If you've ever had Carbone's famous Spicy Rigatoni Vodka, you know it is what dreams are made of. The classic New York hotspot is delivering for the first time via Caviar during this pandemic, but you can easily recreate this at home if you're not within delivery range. 

The first time I dined at Carbone, I assumed waiting 1 month for a reservation just to eat a $30 small plate of pasta would be completely overrated. Oh how I was wrong. I couldn't stop thinking about it afterwards. The taste lingered on my tongue for months as I scoured the web for tips and tricks on how to recreate it. 

There are two secret ingredients that Mario Carbone supposedly adds to this famous dish: onion soubise and Calabrian chili. And, despite the name, it doesn't actually contain vodka. The onion soubise balances out the acidity of the tomatoes, replacing the need for vodka. Calabrian chili comes from the Calabrian region of Italy and its unique taste is spicy with a touch of sweetness. 

The first few times I attempted to recreate this, I used whole peeled tomatoes (rumored to be in the actual dish) and regular chili paste until I found Calabrian chili. While it was beyond delicious, I prefer the smoother, glossier sauce made with tomato paste. 

Now I'm sharing my final product: 

To make the onion soubise, cook thinly sliced onions in butter and water for 1 1/2 hours over low heat. It may seem like an absurd amount of time, but the slow process coaxes out the sweetness, resulting in the best damn onions you've ever tasted. The goal is to not add any color. 

Once the onions are ready, start the rest of the sauce in a large pan (big enough to toss pasta with the sauce later on) with garlic, olive oil, and tomato paste. If you prefer some tomato chunks, feel free to reduce the amount of paste and add a 28 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes, hand crushed. Add the onions and heavy cream until a glorious orange sauce appears.

Add Calabrian chili until you've reached your desired spice level. You can substitute regular chili paste or chili flakes. I found this jar of Calabrian chiles in oil at Williams Sonoma and typically use about a tablespoon. 

Once your boiled pasta is al dente (I highly recommend fresh pasta if you have access / can make it at home), reserve a cup of pasta water to thin out the sauce. I add in about 1/4 cup at a time, stir, and add more until a glossy sauce coats the noddles. You most likely won't need the entire cup. 

Just look at that. Full recipe below!