Mark Bittman’s Spaghetti with Fried Eggs, lightly tweaked

Bless Mark Bittman for choosing a blizzard for his farewell selection of his 25 favorite recipes. I didn’t have to brave the elements to put supper on the table: Spaghetti with Fried Eggs. What could be simpler?

For the salad I assembled whatever I had in the house: some left over greens, Piquillo peppers, defrosted corn kernels, half a can of baby peas, and a bit of feta cheese.

Menu
Spaghetti with Fried Eggs
Mixed Salad
Wine: Saint-Esprit 2008 Côtes du Rhône, Delas
Dessert: Frozen Chocolate Yogurt
Madeira

Spaghetti Recipe

½ pound spaghetti
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 eggs
Salt, pepper and freshly grated Parmesan

• Bring a pot of salted water to the boil. Start cooking the pasta when the water boils. Combine the garlic and 2 tablespoons of the oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook the garlic, pressing it into the oil to release its flavor; it should barely color on both sides. Remove the garlic, and add the remaining oil.
• Fry the eggs in the oil, until the whites are just about set and the yolks still quite runny. Drain the pasta, and season to taste. Top with the eggs. (The yolks will finish cooking in the heat of the pasta.)

“Boring,” said George.

I rather liked it; particularly breaking up the eggs. It was a fun thing to do, reminding me of college days.