Chicken, Spinach, Egg Noodle Casserole

After a seven week hiatus from trying new recipes, I finally made something new to post.  I was very worried that the sauce wouldn't thicken up, and it really didn't get that thick, so I wonder if my roux (butter and flour) didn't thicken enough.  I added more flavorings to the sauce: Italian seasoning, black pepper, parsley and no-salt seasoning (with onion and garlic being the top two seasonings.)  I also added more spinach, less pasta and no breadcrumbs.  It reminded me of fettuccine Alfredo.

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter (4 T for roux, 2 T for breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk
1 cup sour cream
12 oz. egg noodles [I used 8 oz, measured on a scale]
5 oz. chopped baby spinach [I used 2 cups chopped spinach]
2 cups cooked cubed chicken or rotisserie chicken
4 slices sandwich bread
salt and black pepper
[Italian seasoning]
[Parsley]
[garlic/onion seasoning]

Boil water and cook egg noodles according to directions.  For sauce, melt 4 T. butter in a medium sauce pan until melted, whisk in flour until bubbly and thick (not brown.)  Slowly add the milk, let simmer and whisk until thickened.  Remove from heat, add the seasonings to taste and stir in the sour cream.  Mix the chopped spinach and chopped chicken into the sauce.  Combine with the drained noodles and pour into a 9x13 baking dish.  Sprinkle on bread crumbs (made from the 4 slices sandwich bread and 2 T butter.)  Add additional butter on top.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes until breadcrumbs are golden and the sauce is bubbly.  Cool for five minutes before serving.  [I covered the casserole with foil and let it bake for 20 minutes; however, I wonder if I needed to cover it at all even without breadcrumbs.]

Source: Real Simple Recipes.  "Chicken, Spinach, and Noodle Casserole".  27. March 2012.

Kugel {Jewish casserole}

At my friend's wedding reception, they served a traditional Jewish dish with eggs, cottage cheese, egg noodles, and peaches/pineapples (other fruits).  I didn't catch the name, but I wanted to try to make it myself.  At home I immediately searched for the ingredients and found out that it's called Kugel.  I searched for a recipe that I thought would taste most like the one at the wedding.  This is what I found, and tonight I tried it.  It tastes similar but not exact, and now I know how I want to vary it for the future (namely, more eggs and fewer noodles).

Peach Noodle Kugle
1 lb broad egg noodle
[1 stick] butter
4 eggs, lightly beaten
[3/4 cup] sugar
1 tsp salt
1 pint (2 cups) small curd cottage cheese
1 pint (2 cups) sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp nut butter flavoring {didn't use}
1 large can (28 oz) peaches, cut into pieces (reserve some juice for later)
OR 1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, with its juice
apricot preserves

Boil water in a medium saucepan, cook pasta for 7-9 minutes.  Drain and pour into a large mixing bowl.  Add butter, beaten eggs, sugar, salt, cottage cheese, sour cream, vanilla and peaches.  Stir and pour into a greased 13x9 baking dish.  Optionally (because I didn't do this, this time) thin out some apricot preserves with peach juice, spoon onto the top of the dish, spreading evenly with the bottom of a spoon.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

*Some notes: first, I would like to find a recipe with more eggs and less pasta.  I would like to try mixing pineapple and peaches.  I'm not sure if you need to cover it in the oven because the top of the dish had darkened pasta (could be solved by adding a cover like the preserves).  I like the fragrance and the taste (especially from the cheese, eggs, and fruit, not so much from the pasta).  It's a sweet dish that makes a great alternative for get togethers and holidays.


Other links to try: Pineapple Noodle Kugle and Top 10 Kugel Recipes

octopus hot dog-with-spaghetti lunch

In the last couple of months I've found all my cooking ideas from Pinterest.  Yesterday I found a link for some cute recipes to make with preschoolers.  Julia enjoyed trying to stick the spaghetti through the hot dogs; she equally enjoyed throwing them into the pot of boiling water.  She did eat them, being the sausage fanatic that she is, but not without some prodding from her mom. :)

 Break several uncooked spaghetti in half.  Insert spaghetti through hot dog pieces, cut sausage, or the like...

 Boil in a pot of boiling water for 8-10 minutes.

They look pretty silly in this picture, and they are, but they're fun to make anyhow!

Source: Quirky Momma Kids' Activities Blog.  "Octopus Hot Dogs".  Cooking With Preschoolers - 5 Cool Things!  23. April 2012.

Frog Eye Salad

This salad is a family favorite.  I think we've enjoyed it all year round, spring, summer and even at Thanksgiving.  I talked to Grandma Bonnie about it back in February and she commented how much she likes it.  The recipe might be from her, my mom, or from the acini de pepe pasta box.  Who knows, but I wanted to make it for our Easter dinner.  Both Mom and Dad said that it's perfect and tastes like I've been making it for years. :-)

1 package (8 oz.) acini di pepe
3 cans mandarin oranges
2 (20 oz.) cans crushed pineapple
1 (20 oz.) can chunk pineapple {reserve the juices from the cans}
9 oz. Cool Whip
coconut to taste
2-1/2 cups marshmallows
1-3/4 cups pineapple juice
2 T. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup flour
2 beaten eggs
1 T. lemon juice.

1.  Cook acini di pepe for 7-8 minutes in 3 quarts water with 2 tsp. salt and 1 T. oil.  Drain and let cool.
2.  In a saucepan mix pineapple juice, flour, salt, sugar and eggs.  Cook, stirring until thickened.  Remove from heat and add lemon juice.
3.  Cool sauce and mix with pasta
4.  Refrigerate several hours or over night
5.  Stir in the rest of the ingredients (pineapple, mandarin oranges, coconut, marshmallows and Cool Whip)

This salad can keep for one week in the fridge.

Cheeseburger Mac & Cheese

This was a huge hit!  It's a great recipe that everyone in the family enjoys and uses no butter (which Mom loves.)  The directions were confusing when I first read the recipe, but it still turned out yummy.  Of course, I used ground turkey instead of beef. :)

1 lb (95% lean) ground beef {or 93% lean ground turkey:: I used a little more than a half-pound}
1-1/2 cups water
8 oz [1 cup] whole wheat macaroni pasta
5 oz [2/3 cup] 2% milk (divided)
3 tsp flour {oops, I accidentally used 3 T, I guess it's a forgiving recipe!!}
2/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dry mustard
dash cayenne pepper {I used chili pepper because I don't have cayenne}
1/4 cup low sodium ketchup

Brown the ground turkey/beef in a skillet.  Grind in black pepper and chili powder.  In a saucepan boil the water and add the pasta to the boiling water.  Cook for eight minutes or until cooking water is absorbed into the pasta.  Add the pasta to the skillet of cooked meat.  In a bowl mix flour with 2 T milk.  Pour the rest of the milk into the saucepan.  Warm the milk, stirring frequently, then add the flour mixture.  When thickened, add cheese.  Stir until the cheese mixture is smooth then add the dry mustard and paprika.  Combine the cheese sauce with the pasta and meat.  Stir in the ketchup. 

Recipe from: Dr. Gourmet Blog. "Quickie Cheeseburger Mac".  Feb. 23, 2012.

Beef Stroganoff

Yesterday we were watching Zonya Health Bites (on KBYU), where her featured recipe was crock-pot beef stroganoff.  Thomas commented that he wanted that for dinner.  He went to the grocery store to get some beef.  He cut up the roast and an onion.  We followed the recipe, except I only added one cup of light sour cream at the end.  It was pretty good, a little bland, but a filling meal.  I know that I've been making too many meatless meals when Thomas craves meat!

1 can cream of mushroom soup (healthy request)
1 can beef broth (reduced sodium)
1 can (4 oz) sliced mushrooms, drained
3 T cornstarch
3/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup Marsala wine (optional)
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
Stir together in a slow cooker.

1 large onion, diced
2.5 lbs lean top round or sirloin steak, well trimmed of fat, cubed
Add into the soup mixture

Cook on high for four to five hours or on low for nine to ten hours.

About 20 minutes before serving
*stir 1-1/2 cups of light sour cream in the slow cooker
*boil water, cook 12 oz. whole wheat pasta
     *add frozen vegetables about five minutes before pasta is finished
Drain cooked pasta and vegetables, plate beef stroganoff on top
{I found salt and pepper is needed, especially if you didn't add salt in the slow cooker.}

Source: www.zonya.com. Lickety-Split Meals. "Beef Stroganoff over Noodles." http://www.zonya.com/pdf/recipes/Beef_Stroganoff.pdf

What's-in-the-pantry Meatless Taco Soup

It's one of those nights with an almost bare fridge, so I needed my creative juices to help me out for dinner.  But we have plenty of cans in the pantry (tomatoes, corn, beans), so a soup made sense to me even without beef.  I had carrots that needed to be used, so I just threw those in too.

Carrots
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can corn
1 can black beans
3 T taco seasoning
1 can beef broth
1/2 box (13.25 oz) whole wheat rotini pasta

Chop baby carrots and boil them for about 20 minutes.  Drain and return to the medium saucepan.  Add canned corn, diced tomatoes, black beans, taco seasoning and beef broth.  Stir in pasta.  Raise the heat to high until boiling (stirring occasionally).  Turn the heat down to low, cover and let cook for about 10 minutes. 

It turned out great!  The pasta really thickened it.  It's definitely a nice to-go-to soup when there isn't a lot of time to cook!  Top with your choice of flavor, any cheese, sour cream, or spicy sauce. 

"Meaty" Taco Soup
Here's the same soup, but with ground turkey, chicken broth (instead of beef broth) and without pasta.  Delish!

Macaroni Salad

At times I like macaroni salad more than potato salad.  Pasta is addictive, but aside from just taste alone, it's a lot easier to prepare and cook than potatoes are.  This recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook although I only used half of the ingredients.  Pasta salads are very versatile so it works every time!

2 cups macaroni or wagon wheel pasta
1/2 cup salad dressing {Miracle Whip}
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 T mustard (to taste)
1-2 T milk
paprika
garlic powder
onion powder
 dash black pepper
2-3 hard boiled eggs
1/2 cup frozen peas
3/4-1 cup diced cheddar cheese
2-3 whole dill pickles, diced
black olives

Other ingredients in original recipe:
1/2 cup thinly sliced celery (1 stalk)
1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes
2 T thinly sliced green onion or chopped onion
1/4 tsp salt

Boil water in a medium saucepan.  Boil two cups of pasta according to package instructions.  Boil water in a small saucepan for hard-cooked eggs.  Meanwhile dice cheese, pickles, eggs, black olives and other ingredients.  Drain pasta when cooked.  Pour pasta into a large bowl.  Add frozen peas to the pasta.  In a separate bowl mix together the salad dressing and mayonnaise (I used a 3/4 measuring cup and eyeball it), mustard, onion- and garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Add remaining ingredients into the pasta.  Stir in the salad dressing.  Add a little milk if it need moistened.  Chill at least four hours before serving.

Original recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. "Macaroni Salad." 12th ed. Des Moines, IA: Better Homes and Gardens Books, 2002. 463.

What's-in-the-pantry Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Too long ago now, my Italian professor told us in class that this was a popular dish for the men to take down into the mines and that the black pepper, today, represents the coal flakes that fell into the pasta.  I ordered this dish in Rome.  It's so rich and good.  But I had to modify this recipe, so it wasn't the same although it still proved to be a great Sunday lunch.

6 slices [turkey] bacon (Prosciutto is often used)
{5 slices were sufficient}
6 oz dried fettuccine or linguine {or spaghetti, hehe}
1 beaten egg
1 cup half-and-half, light cream, or milk
2 T butter or margarine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese {oops, we had to use good ol' cheddar}
1/4 cup snipped fresh parsley
coarsely ground black pepper

Cook bacon until crisp and set aside.  Boil water and cook pasta according to package directions.  To make the sauce, combine egg, milk and butter into a small saucepan.  {I decided to add the cheese in the sauce.}  Cook and stir until the mixture coats the spoon.  Do not boil.  This should take about six minutes.  Combine the pasta and sauce together.  Top with bacon, Parmesan cheese and parsley.  Gently stir again.  Season with grounded black pepper.

{recipe from Better Homes and Garden Cookbook. 12th ed. Des Moines, IA: Better Homes and Gardens Books, 2002. 396.}

Cheesy Mac & Cheese

It seems that I've been making macaroni and cheese dishes a lot lately.  I thought this recipe should be on my blog as I've made it more than a few times.  At this time it's my favorite mac & cheese recipe.

1 can cream of cheddar soup
1/2 can of milk
2 cups of cooked {whole wheat} pasta
black pepper, to taste
various herbs or spices (Italian seasoning, parsley, garlic- and/or onion powder, paprika, chili powder, etc)
extra cheese for taste
green vegetable for color (not featured in picture)

Boil salted water in a medium saucepan.  Once the water comes to a full boil, pour in two cups pasta.  In an 8x8 casserole dish stir together soup, milk, spices/herbs and extras.  Drain pasta once cooked at al dente.  Mix pasta with the soup mixture.  Bake in a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.

(original recipe found on Campbell's Cream of Cheddar)

Edamame Mac & Cheese

My favorite show at the moment is America's Next Great Restaurant.  One of the contestants made a side dish of pasta with edamame, instead of peas.  I've made macaroni and cheese with peas and other vegetables and thought substituting peas with edamame was a great idea.  Julia loves edamame, cheese and pasta, so I knew it would be a winning lunch for us.

6-8 oz whole wheat pasta shells
milk to taste
shredded cheese to taste
1 cup edamame (soy beans)
salt and pepper

Boil pasta on the stove, drain.  Pour pasta back into the saucepan and add a little milk, stirring constantly over low heat.  Add shredded cheese and stir until melted.  Stir in edamame and other spices/herbs.

Chicken tortellini soup

While searching online for some soup inspiration like, chicken noodle soup, white chili, etc, I saw a recipe that asked for cheese-filled tortellini with all the ingredients I was thinking of.  So here is a cross between chicken noodle soup and what I had in the pantry.

rotiessere chicken (you know it's my favorite...)
carrots
frozen green beans
canned corn
cheese-filled tortellini
canned chicken broth
water
Italian seasoning
salt and pepper

Cut carrots, boil in two cups of water.  After about 10 minutes of boiling, add a can of chicken broth, two cups of (frozen) tortellini, and (frozen) green beans. Grind black pepper, and shake salt and plenty of Italian seasoning in the soup. Pour in the can of corn and stir in the cubed chicken.  Simmer until everything is heated through.

I especially like the tri-color theme going on in this soup, and Julia liked it too!

Other flavors such as onions and garlic are great additions.  I haven't added them since I'm dealing with acid reflux problems right now...   Click here if you want to see the recipe that inspired my cooking imagination....

{8/29- I've made this soup numerous times with fresh french beans.  Boil the beans and carrots first, drain, add chicken broth and 2 cups of water, the whole can of chicken, canned corn, can of kidney beans, salt, pepper, Italian Seasoning, garlic- and onion powder, etc.  When it boils, bring it to a simmer and add tortellini in the last three minutes of cooking time.}

Experiment: Oven Ready Lasagna

Passing by the pasta in the grocery store, I saw this package and thought it would be fun to try. 

Just being able to layer pasta with the other lasagna ingredients would save me from having to clean an extra pot, but I was uncertain if it would save time.  I did two things differently with this recipe, first is that I mixed an egg with cottage {or ricotta} cheese and second is that I used this oven ready pasta.  I also like to layer a vegetable and this time I used zucchini and yellow squash.

First layer of lasagna

The directions on the box do instruct to layer the lasagna so that they do not touch each other, as they will expand while cooking in the oven.  The directions also advised to bake in the oven for 30 minutes, covered, then 10 minutes longer uncovered.  I was worried that if the extended cooking time were true, that it wouldn't be worth it.  Luckily, my lasagna was well cooked after the 30 minutes and I had no complaints with the turn out!

My Recipe!*

It seems that the purchase was worth the extra money, in that it saved me from worrying about another step in the cooking and one less dish to wash after eating. 

*In tonight's sauce, I did not add a can of (or fresh) diced tomatoes and the quantity was perfect for two layers of noodles.  I also added garlic powder, but I used onion powder as I didn't saute fresh onions with the sausage.

Spaghetti Primavera

This is a great pasta dish if you feel for spaghetti, but not marinara sauce.  I found this recipe on the back of a soup can when I was looking for a dinner idea.  I had all the ingredients, so naturally I tried it out. Since then I've made it two more times.  The second time because I was having problems with acidity in tomatoes, and the third time (see photo below) because I thought it would make a good vegetarian pasta dish.

To Start:
1 can (10 3/4 oz) Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup milk
3 T Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 bag (16 oz) California-style frozen vegetables
2 cups cooked, cubed chicken [also good without]
1/2 pkg (8 oz) wheat spaghetti

How to Make:
Boil salted water in a medium saucepan.  Meanwhile, mix together soup, milk, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, frozen vegetables, and chicken in a small saucepan.  Heat until boiling then let simmer until the vegetables are cooked through, stirring frequently.  Add the uncooked spaghetti into the boiling water and cook according to directions (about 10 minutes).  Drain the spaghetti, put it back into the original saucepan and pour the sauce over the pasta.  Toss together and there you have a delicious pasta dish!

Another variation of Pasta Primavera!

Recipe from Campbell's Kitchen

Tomato Brain Soup

Again, in the Halloween spirit, I made Tomato Brain Soup for the family.  It was fairly simple and brought lots of taste to the simple tomato soup can.  I doubled the recipe, for 7 people, and there was a lot of leftovers.

Served on Halloween night

What you need:
2 cans tomato soup
3 cups of water
2-3 stalks green onion
1 package roman noodles
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Heat tomato soup with water until boiling.  Turn down the heat and add green onions, roman noodles, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.  Cook for 6-8 minutes until noodles are done.  Top bowls of soup with mozzarella cheese.  {If desired, broil the soup bowls briefly so the cheese turns brown.}

*Adapted from Pizza Brain Soup by George Duran
{edit: 9/24/11}

Asparagus, pasta and cheese dish

I have made this dish a couple of times, so many that this time around I adapted it from my head, not looking at the recipe.  This is what I did:

• Wash 1 pound of asparagus.  I've recently learned how to snap them.  Hold the asparagus lightly in the middle and put pressure on it until it naturally breaks, separating the hard and tender parts of the asparagus.  After doing this to all of the individual asparagus, you may have more of the "hard" ends than the tender parts that you'll cook, but it will be worth it.  I've not had a hard-to-chew piece in my cooking since I've started this technique.

• Cook the asparagus in salted boiling water for about 5 minutes.  It doesn't take long to cook them.
• Take the aspargus out of the water without draining the water.  I use salad tongs to help me.
• Keep the asparagus in the oven while you cook the pasta.  You may put the oven on a low setting. I add a little butter on top of the asparagus, but that step can be optional.
• Add 1/2 to 1 pound (depending on how much you want to make) of your choice of pasta to the "pre-used" asparagus water.
• Cook pasta until al dente (or however you like it).  This time reserve some water for later while you drain the water.
• Combine the pasta and asparagus.  Top the pasta dish with lots of Parmesan cheese and parsley.
  

  

  Picture of the next-day leftovers
  
  

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

  

  Another variation with green beans, made on December 30, 2010

Chicken Manicotti

My first attempt at Manicotti was a success.  This recipe is easy although it takes some time.  The taste is a bit bland, but the sauce makes up for it.  The recipe calls for cubed sized chicken to stuff in the pasta with the spinach mixture.  I left out the chicken, cooked the breasts, and served it on the side.


Ingredients
 
Manicotti stuffing
2 skinless, boneless chicken halves, cubed
1 egg, beaten
1 (10 oz) pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained [I only use bagged spinach]
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
[I added salt and pepper for taste]
10 Manicotti shells [I could only fit nine in the 9x13 baking dish]

Sauce
1 (10-3/4 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 (8 oz) container sour cream
1 cup milk
1 tsp Italian seasoning [I put A LOT more than that!]
1 cup boiling water
1 cup shredded cheese, optional
1 T chopped fresh parsley [would be a nice addition, but I didn't top the dish with it]


Directions 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Cook chicken in skillet over medium heat until juices run clear.  For the Manicotti stuffing, mix together cooked chicken, egg, spinach, cottage- & Parmesan cheeses, and salt & pepper.  in a medium bowl.  Spoon in the filling into the uncooked shells [actually I found that a fork works better].  Arrange the shells so that they don't touch each other in a 9x13 baking dish.

For the sauce, mix together the soup, sour cream, milk and Italian seasoning, stir well.  Pour sauce completely over the shells.  Pour the boiling water around edges of the pasta.  Tightly cover dish with aluminum foil before putting it in the oven.  Bake for 1 hour or until pasta is done.  Top with cheddar cheese and parsley, have the manicotti rest 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe from: "Shortcut Chicken Manicotti".  http://www.allrecipes.com.   http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Shortcut-Chicken-Manicotti/Detail.aspx

A Becky Classic III

Good ol' Lasagna. A classic Italian stand by, but I don't really make it a lot, really. I've made lasagna with both lasagna noodles and curly pasta. It's far easier to make it with the flat lasagna noodles! I can fit more cheese, sauce and vegetables in between the layers. I use my classic sauce (same that I use to make spaghetti); we usually add meat but vegetarian lasagna is easy to adapt. I also like to change up my vegetables from spinach to yellow squash and zucchini.

Becky's Basic Mariana sauce:
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes or throw in some fresh (Optional and if you want a lot of sauce! Sometimes I add this the day after to stretch out the leftovers)
1/2 pound sausage
onion (fresh, saute with sausage; dried add to sauce)
Italian Seasoning
Parsley
Salt and Pepper

Brown sausage and onion in a skillet. Add tomato sauce(s), let heat until slightly bubbly and lastly add the herbs and season to taste.

Laying the Lasagna:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Add some sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Layer lasagna noodles to fit tightly, top with cottage cheese and your choice of vegetable. Repeat with layering sauce, noodles, cheese and vegetables. Depending on how my noodles you boiled and how much sauce you have left, you could end there (and top with grated cheese and/or Parmesan cheese) or you can put a third layer of noodles and the last of the sauce (then add grated cheese and/or Parmesan cheese).

Bake for about 30 minutes

Another dish without an official recipe to look at every time you make it. For a variation, you can try the White Cheese Chicken Lasagna. Who could go wrong with classic lasagna?

My favorite meal

Lots of warm pasta, fresh vegetables (frozen peas, frozen broccoli, fresh yellow squash), olive oil, bunch of Italian seasoning, tons of dry parsley (we're growing some this summer, so I can use fresh soon!), and salt & pepper with left over grilled meat (pork in this case). Thomas said that it's good, but he prefers Pesto. Pesto has more oil, so I think this is healthier (and kinda like Pesto too with the oil and parsley/basil). This dish is faster than a Rachel Ray's 30 minute meal.

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.