Easy & Elegant Meal for One (or More)
Sometimes, the best inspirations come from nowhere. There I was – car in the shop, little food in the house, and I was hungry.
I came across some pasta, parsley, and eggs. So, I thought, why the hell not.
Here is the result.
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This recipe is written for 1 person, but it’s easily multiplied.
Pappardelle with Poached Egg
4 oz. dried pappardelle
1 egg
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 c. chopped parsley (it doesn’t matter if it’s curly or flat-leaf)
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese
1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions until al dente. Save about 1/4 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta. Set aside.
2. Poach the egg: To poach an egg, you’ll need a small saucepan filled with about 2″ of water. Add in 1 teaspoon of white vinegar for every cup of water you use.
Crack your egg into a small bowl and set aside. Doing this will help you to remove any shell fragments, keep the yolk from breaking, and is a whole lot less dangerous that trying to break an egg over a steaming pot of water.
When the water comes to a boil, hold the bowl as close as you can over the water without burning yourself and carefully slide the egg into the water.
Remove the saucepan from the heat. And, with a large spoon, carefully gather the white around the yolk until it begins to solidify. Then leave it to cook.
For a soft-poached egg, cook it about 3 minutes; for a medium egg, 4-5 minutes, for a hard poach, 7 – 8 minutes.
Carefully remove the egg from the hot water with a slotted spoon and set aside.
3. In a small skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the parsley and stir for about 15 seconds.
Add the reserved pasta water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the skillet and toss until it’s coated with the parsley and butter sauce. Remove from the heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Place the pasta on a plate or in a pasta bowl. Nestle the poached egg on top. Sprinkle with a little more chopped parsley, if you like, and some fresh grated Parmesan.
Scrumptious.
I can vouch for this . . . it is delicious.