Lockdown recipes : pasta and egg #easyrecipes #lockdowncook #glutenfree #vegetarian

We have all heard about people buying pasta by the kg but having bought it – what next?

The simple way to eat pasta is to cook it, stir in some pesto sauce, and sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Or else heat up a jar of pasta sauce to stir into cooked pasta.

But what do you do if you don’t have a jar of pasta sauce? Or else made too much pasta and have a big pot of it left over?

The first time I saw someone eating spaghetti and fried egg was back in the early 1970s (in the days when British expectations of pasta was limited to spag-bol and mac-cheese!)

I was at a camp site in the Black Forest and an Italian couple had pitched next to us. I watched fascinated as they cooked. The woman offered me a taste of the mix and it was rather good! (See quick recipe at the bottom section.)

Here is a variation on a traditional pasta dish that takes minutes to cook and is about as simple as it comes.

Egg and cheese pasta.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 crushed garlic cloves (optional)
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon water
• a dash crushed red peppers, chilli powder (go easy!) or else a splash of chilli sauce. Be sparing to start with whatever your choice – you can always add a little more later.
• freshly ground black pepper
• 250 gms of cooked pasta (any kind; durum wheat, corn, buckwheat, rice – your choice)
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (Parmesan is traditional but any strong cheese will do, though you may need a little more than 2 tbls to get the same flavour)

Method

1. Beat eggs, water, and red pepper flakes together.
2. Put butter and olive oil in a non-stick pan.
3. Heat over medium-low heat until the butter melts.
4. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and let it cook for a few moments but being careful not to let it burn!
5. Pour in the eggs and cook gently, stirring well as they cook.
6. When the eggs start to firm up, add the pasta.
7. Stir to coat pasta thoroughly.
8. Sprinkle in cheese and black pepper.
9. Continue to cook until pasta is heated and eggs are cooked to your preference

Alternatively:

• Fry whole eggs until almost cooked.
• break them up and add to pasta .
• This method can use fewer eggs and works well with spaghetti.
• For the carnivores among you add some crisp fried bacon pieces or some chopped ham at stage 9.

 

 

 

Note: illos used are stock photos