Fried Eggs, Red Pepper Flakes, Garlic, And Herbs Pasta

When I'm looking to cook a relatively easy meal with a little bit of pizazz, I often cook this recipe that I found on (the totally awesome) seasaltwithfood.com.

She lists the ingredients as:

1 lb Spaghetti or any long pasta
3 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
2 Large Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced
4 Large Eggs
Coarse or Maldon Sea Salt to taste
Crushed Hot Red Pepper Flakes to taste
½ Cup Freshly Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano plus additional as an accompaniment
¼ Cup Minced Fresh Parsley
1 Tbsp Minced Fresh Oregano or Sage Normally

I change/add a couple things - I leave out the parsley and add green onions. Sometimes I use dried herbs, but ground up really fine - sometimes i use basil and rosemary. The red pepper flakes I usually change out for red chili flakes. Any sort of spice would work here, even a dash of sambal olek (I am seriously addicted to sambal olek lately).

Put the water on to boil and cook the spaghetti (or angel hair or linguine or whatever). I find mise en place to be pretty important in this dish, So I get everything together and laid out while the water is boiling. It's better to have your spaghetti done too early, rather than too late. Drain when al dente.

Once everything is in place and the spaghetti is cooking, add the oil/butter to the pan and fry up your eggs. It's best to do it basting with the butter and not flipping them. The important part is leaving the yolks runny. Once they are done, Toss some cheese and red pepper flakes on the tops and set them off to the side.

Here's where I differ a little from recipe - in the oil left in the pan, add your seasonings and herbs and garlic, fry 'em up for 30 seconds until fragrant, then add your drained pasta and toss it in the oil and spices for a minute or two. Portion the spaghetti up, add more cheese, put the eggs on top, and serve. When you break the yolk, it combines with the oil and seasonings to make a great, nearly dry pasta sauce.

This is normally a summer dish, but two days ago it was 71 degrees here, so I'm in a summer frame of mind.

Huevos Rancheros

I love huevos rancheros. Years ago in New Mexico I had them for the first time. The waitress asked if I wanted red chili sauce or green chili sauce. I was nearly tossed out when I didn't have an opinion. Now I've decided that I love them both.

I have a reasonable version of huevos rancheros. It's simple to do. I start with Hatch green chilis. Here in Missouri I can't get great fresh ones so I just buy canned ones. They are fine. I open the chili and grill it till just starting to brown and warm. I use two chilis for me and one for my wife. I put the chilis on top of a soft grilled corn tortilla.









Next I add black beans. Yeah, you can make them from scratch. I open a can into a pan, warm them up, just start to mash them up a little, adding a little water or stock to make them kind of like refried beans, but not quite so mashed. Next layer is fried potatoes and onions.

Finally, I add eggs, scrambled or over medium, some sharp cheddar cheese and of course chili sauce, green or red. I make my own green chili sauce, but you can find reasonable sauces in your local store. I like ones with tomatillos in them.

If it isn't a mess, toss it out and start over.
Be sure to salt all the layers and get some browning on the tortillas, green chilis, potatoes and onions. Loosen your belt and dig in.