Spaghetti con Asparagi ed Uova... Spaghetti with asparagus, fried eggs, black pepper, and pecorino

From the lovely cookbook Four Season's Pasta, the editor writes "I've always loved asparagus with fried eggs on top, the eggs cooks so briskly so the whites get crisp but the yolks stay runny. Tossed with pasta, it's a one-meal dish. Timing is critical --you want the eggs, asparagus, and pasta done at the same time --so I never attempt the dish for more than two." Serves 2
I made this for lunch, today. I just couldn't wait to try it out and I didn't want to risk the asparagus going bad. We gobbled it up!

Ingredients:
1 pound asparagus
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound spaghetti
2 eggs
3 tablespoons freshly grated aged pecorino cheese or toasted bread crumbs (page 22), plus more for topping

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat.

Holding an asparagus spear in both hands, bend the spear gently. It will break naturally at the point at which the spear becomes tough. Repeat with the remaining asparagus. Discard the tough ends. Cut the trimmed spears on the diagonal into 1/2-inch pieces, leaving the tips whole. Put the asparagus in a baking dish or on a baking sheet big enough to hold them in a single layer. Toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake until sizzling and tender, about 15 minutes.

While asparagus is baking, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. About 2 minutes before pasta is done, heat a skillet over moderately high heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. When oil is hot, break in the eggs, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook, without turning, just until the whites are barely firm. The yolks should remain runny.

Drain the pasta and return it to the warm pot. Add the asparagus and any oil in the baking dish, then add the eggs and any oil in the skillet. Toss well, breaking up the eggs as you toss. The runny yolks will coat the spaghetti with a creamy sauce. Add the cheese or bread creams, then add a few grindings of black pepper. Toss again and serve immediately in warm bowls, topping with additional cheese or bread crumbs.

**We didn't have a creamy sauce, must have used too much pasta, but it was still tasty. Also, we treated the picorino and bread crumbs as optional and didn't add them into the dish.

***

Fletcher, Janet. Four Seasons Pasta: A Year of Inspired Recipe in the Italian Tradition. San Francisco, CA: Chronicle Books, 2004. 37.