Saturday, January 30, 2010

Spaghetti with Frisee and Fried Egg


Frisee...what is that? Are you asking yourself that right now? I know I did. I've never seen frisee at my market. However I have seen pictures of it and I have also read people's descriptions and they say it looks like lettuce but tastes bitter. So whenever I'm shopping for this recipe I buy curly endive which is also a bitter green and I think it tastes great! Especially with bacon...and let's be honest what doesn't taste better with bacon?



Ingredients

Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 pound spaghetti
8 ounces bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large head frisee, chopped
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
4 large eggs
Grated Parmesan, for serving (optional)


Directions

  1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve cup pasta water; drain pasta and transfer to a large bowl.

  2. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high until browned, about 7 minutes, pouring off and reserving fat halfway through. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels.

  3. Add frisee to skillet and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring, until frisee just begins to wilt, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Stir in vinegar and transfer to bowl with pasta (reserve skillet). Add pasta water and toss to combine.

  4. Return skillet to medium heat and add reserved bacon fat. Working in two batches, fry eggs until whites are just set and edges are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve pasta topped with Parmesan (if desired) and a fried egg.

Makes 4 servings

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