Nothing beats a comfortable weekend breakfast; lounging around in your bathrobe, sipping coffee, reading the newspaper while the radio plays in the background. Ahhh! Drew’s selection this month will help you make this idyllic morning happen, and there are plenty of tips for variations. Feel free to improvise, using your creativity to make the recipe your own. Makes 2 servings; easily scaled up.
Ingredients:
- ½ bag DeCecco Orecchiette pasta packs OR
- 4-6 cups oiled, leftover pasta
- Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2-4 large eggs
- Parmesan cheese
Preparation:
- Heat 2 tbsps of olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering; swirl to coat pan.
- Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is well-browned and crispy in spots, 5-7 minutes.
- Season generously with salt and pepper; transfer to bowl and keep warm.
- Return pan to low heat and allow to cool for a minute or two.
- Add remaining 1 tbsp of oil; swirl to coat pan.
- Crack eggs in pan, season with salt and pepper, and cover pan.
- Cook until white is just set and yolk is warm but still runny, about 4 minutes
- Divide pasta between bowls.
- Place egg on top with plenty of fine-grated Parmesan. Serve immediately.
Tips:
- While this recipe for using leftover pasta will work with any chunky shape (or brand) of pasta, I prefer the flavor and texture of De Cecco Orecchiette pasta.
- Unless you are cooking pasta ahead of time specifically for frying, your volume of pasta will likely vary. Count on at least 2 cups of cooked Orecchiette per serving.
- I particularly like the addition of shredded prosciutto or country-style Virginia ham and chopped arugula added just before serving.
- It’s best to cook the egg until just set so that the runny yolk can mix with the cheese and generate a sauce of sorts.
- If you haven’t purchased a bag of Jacobsen salt yet, you really owe it to yourself. Its particularly crunchy, flaky texture and bright salinity contributes a terrific accent note to the pasta. And the salt is made right here in Oregon from Netarts Bay water.
- As for pepper, my favorite variety is the robust “India Special Extra Bold” from Penzeys Spices.
- Can’t be beat with arugula and goat cheese. Bits of smoked salmon or smoked trout taste terrific with the peppery greens and/or avocado and thin-sliced Peppadew peppers (Both Fred Meyer and Whole Foods sell smoked salmon trimmings for a fraction the cost of whole pieces).
- Stick with soft, fresh herbs like sage, marjoram or thyme; rosemary comes on too strong when cooked that long (Cash-n-Carry carries large bundles of fresh thyme for around $4 that keep for up to a month.
