On the all-too-rare occasions that I have an evening in on my own, I usually turn to my three bestest friends for company: bread, cheese, and wine. However, given the frigid weather of late--and the endlessly broken and repaired and rerepaired boiler in my building--I decided that something hot was indicated.
I'd made pasta with eggs before, but the eggs were always accompanied by bacon, teaming up for a deliciously artery-shattering carbonara. Since I was going to be solely responsible for the dishes resulting from this particular dinner, I decided to simplify, dropping the bacon and--more important--the pan that would wind up greasily in the sink. Yes, there's a pan involved here, but frying bacon is a whole other kettle of...um...pork products. The principle if not unlike a carbonara, except that the egg is lightly fried in seasoned oil before being tossed with the pasta and cheese. It turned out to be a lovely little meal: warm, rich, creamy, and, accompanied by a glass or two of wine, thoroughly satisfying. And, it occurs to me, it's a meal with the friends mentioned above, just in winter guises.
pasta
olive oil
red pepper flakes
a clove or two of garlic, chopped
1 egg
tons of grated cheese
salt, pepper
Cook a single serving of pasta. I particularly like linguini fini.
Heat a splash of olive oil over medium heat. Add red pepper flakes and garlic, stirring occasionally, until garlic softens. Break egg into pan (or into a bowl, then into the pan--much easier). Cook until white is almost set. Pour entire contents of pan over pasta. Toss with a great deal of Parm or Romano. Salt and pepper to taste. It suddenly occurs to me that a handful of chopped parsley mightn't be bad here, either.
