Skip to content
Entertainment
Link copied to clipboard

Variations on a theme from Italy

Years ago, a recipe I learned in Italy changed my life: pan-steamed asparagus, tossed with Parmigiano and a soft-yolk fried egg. When broken, the runny yolk combines with the cheese to make a creamy sauce for the asparagus.

Years ago, a recipe I learned in Italy changed my life: pan-steamed asparagus, tossed with Parmigiano and a soft-yolk fried egg. When broken, the runny yolk combines with the cheese to make a creamy sauce for the asparagus.

The dish is fast, healthful and supremely satisfying; it exemplifies the ingenious simplicity of so much Italian cooking.

And, it afforded me a formula for throwing together a delicious meal when the larder is almost bare, for it relies on two staples with a relatively long shelf-life - aged, hard grating cheeses and eggs - and can be made with equally durable vegetables such as potatoes, onions or root vegetables.

The recipe can be scaled down to feed two or even one, and has become one of my favorite meals on nights alone.

The basic formula is a bed of something filling and delicious, but mildly flavored, such as cooked vegetables, sprinkled with a pungent grated cheese like Parmigiano, then topped with a soft-yolk fried egg. Your main elements for improvising are the bed/base and the cheese you use.

The base can be almost any cooked vegetable in your repertoire (including many of your favorite vegetable recipes; it's a great way to use leftovers), from simple steamed spinach to ratatouille, roasted potatoes or onions, sauteed mushrooms, peppers, or cooked broccoli rabe, to name a few.

Starchy foods such as polenta, leftover risotto, mashed potatoes, or any kind of toasted bread make nice beds as well.

Cheeses could include Manchego, aged Gouda, dry Jack, Pecorino Toscano, or an aged grating goat cheese. All keep for weeks in the fridge.

Sometimes I like to throw herbs into the butter I cook the eggs in to add another layer of flavor. You'll find, as you begin to improvise on the basic formula, that the dish changes dramatically with different bases; each provides its own unique pleasures.

The steps are simple: Heat or prepare the base, fry an egg and arrange it on the base with a sprinkling of Parmigiano.

Improvising on the asparagus-with-a-fried-egg theme led me to my all-time favorite version: spaghetti with a soft- yolk fried egg, some bits of crumbled pancetta or bacon, and grated Parmigiano. It's a quick, elemental version of pasta carbonara.

One day when I was craving a creamy pasta dish, I made the fried-egg dish with spaghetti. The soft-cooked yolk and cheese melted into a satisfying creamy sauce - the ultimate instant soul food. To gild the lily, cook some diced bacon, fry the eggs in the fat, and toss the crispy pieces with the pasta.

Another adaptation was born when I was staying at a friend's country house, and the summer days were so beautiful we couldn't bring ourselves to leave to go to the market, so we cooked with what we had in our diminishing larder.

That's how some Vidalia onions that had been languishing in a basket became the base for a neighboring farmer's fabulous eggs and some grated Manchego cheese - a perfect supper.

Asparagus with Fried Egg and Parmigiano

Makes 4 servings

1 large bunch asparagus, about 1 pound

Kosher salt

1/3 cup water

1 tablespoon unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil

4 extra-large eggs, preferably organic

Freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup grated Parmigiano

1.

Break the tough stems off the asparagus and discard. Arrange the asparagus in a large nonstick skillet set over high heat; add the salt and water. Cover and steam the vegetables, rearranging them occasionally, until they are crisp-tender and all but 1 tablespoon of the water has evaporated, 5 to 8 minutes. (Check the vegetables periodically; if the water is evaporating too quickly, add a few more tablespoons. If there is still too much by the time the vegetables are tender, pour it off, holding the vegetables in the pan with the lid.) Remove the lid and add 1 teaspoon of the butter or olive oil; toss the asparagus well to coat. Turn off the heat.

2.

Carefully break the eggs into a bowl without breaking the yolks. Heat a 12-inch nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over moderate heat. Add the remaining butter or oil and swirl to coat. Add the eggs, gently nudging the yolks so they are evenly spaced in the pan; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat, cover and cook until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny. When they are done, separate them with a spatula.

3.

Arrange some of the asparagus on each of 4 dinner plates. Sprinkle each serving with some cheese and place an egg on top. Spoon some of the remaining cheese over each egg. Serve at once.

Note: Instead of cooked asparagus, substitute any cooked vegetable you wish (leftovers are great). Just warm through before topping with the egg and cheese.

Per serving:

188 calories, 15 grams protein, 5 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams sugar, 12 grams fat, 233 milligrams cholesterol, 302 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber

Roasted Onions, Fried Egg and Manchego

Makes 4 servings

2 medium-sweet onions such as Vidalia or Walla Walla Sweets

Extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt

Fresh rosemary leaves

1 tablespoon unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil

4 extra-large eggs, preferably organic

Freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup grated Manchego, Parmigiano or other hard grated cheese

1.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Halve the onions through the circumference. Keeping each half intact, pull off the outer skin. Brush each half lightly with extra-virgin olive oil and place cut-side-down on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and scatter a few spikes of rosemary over the top. Roast 40 minutes. Turn the onions over, sprinkle with a little more salt and rosemary, and roast until the onions are tender, about 40 minutes longer.

2.

Carefully break the eggs into a bowl without breaking the yolks. Heat a 12-inch nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over moderate heat. Add the butter or oil and swirl to coat. Add the eggs, gently nudging the yolks so they are evenly spaced in the pan; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat, cover and cook until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny. When they are done, separate them with a spatula.

3.

Arrange one onion half on each of 4 dinner plates. Sprinkle each serving with some cheese and place an egg on top. Spoon some of the remaining cheese over each egg. Serve at once.

Per serving:

218 calories, 13 grams protein, 7 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams sugar, 16 grams fat, 233 milligrams cholesterol, 422 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.

Spaghetti with a Fried Egg and Parmigiano

Makes 4 servings

12 to 16 ounces (depending on how hungry you are) spaghetti, linguine or other pasta

1 tablespoon unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil

4 extra-large eggs, preferably organic

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup grated Parmigiano

Fresh flat-leaf parsley,

optional

1.

In a large pot of boiling, well-salted water, cook the spaghetti until it is slightly underdone (the pasta will keep cooking after it's drained). With a measuring cup, scoop out 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and set the colander over a bowl while you start the eggs.

2.

Carefully break the eggs into a bowl without breaking the yolks. Heat a 12-inch nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over moderate heat. Add the butter or oil and swirl to coat. Add the eggs, gently nudging the yolks so they are evenly spaced in the pan; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat, cover and cook until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny.

3.

While the eggs are cooking, transfer the pasta back to the cooking pot. Add about 1/3 cup of the cooking water and 6 tablespoons of grated Parmigiano. Toss until the cheese has melted and the pasta is coated with a creamy sauce, adding more cooking water if necessary to keep the pasta moist. Season generously with salt and pepper. Divide the pasta evenly among 4 warm dinner plates. Sprinkle each serving with some of the remaining grated cheese.

4.

Separate the eggs with a spatula and arrange a fried egg in the center of each mound of pasta. Scatter coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley over the top, if desired. Serve at once, instructing your guests to break the yolk and toss the egg with the pasta.

Per serving:

461 calories, 20 grams protein, 65 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams sugar, 13 grams fat, 226 milligrams cholesterol, 363 milligrams sodium, 3 grams dietary fiber.