Eggs on top of pasta and other starches is one of my favorite things to eat. The taste of runny egg yolks sopped up with buttered toast is amazing, so translating that same idea to dinner, with the addition of other fresh and savory ingredients is perfect. Living in the North End, I’m lucky enough to have access to a great mercato that sells shaved prosciutto.
I was first introduced to the idea at Smitten Kitchen’s website — one of my favorite blogs! She made an egg-topped rice dish with caramelized leeks, and sauteed garlic and ginger. If you don’t know about her already, check out her site. And make the recipe. They’re both fabulous.
Then I found this recipe in a Bon Appetit magazine. It turned out really well! I’m just cooking for two, and thought getting so many pans dirty was pointless, so after cooking the prosciutto, I used the same skillet to cook the eggs. If you’re not using multiple pans, work quickly so everything stays hot until you eat it.
Soba noodles with asparagus and prosciutto
As published in Bon Appetit, February 2010
5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
3-ounce package thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into strips
8 large eggs
1 9.5-ounce package thin soba noodles
1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed, cut diagonally
1 cup Parmesan cheese
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Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook for just under a minute. Then add prosciutto and crisp. Remove the prosciutto from the skillet and set aside.
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At the same time, cook soba noodles in large pot of boiling water until about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sliced asparagus to pot; cook until noodles are cooked through and asparagus is just tender, 2 more minutes. Drain the noodles and asparagus, reserving some of the cooking liquid.
- The eggs take just a few minutes to cook, so after adding the asparagus to the pasta water, start cooking the eggs in the same pan as the prosciutto. Sautee sunny-side up for about 2 minutes, or until preferred doneness. As the yolk starts to set, remove the eggs from heat with a spatula and set aside.
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Combine noodles, asparagus, and prosciutto to the skillet and cook until heated through. Add reserved cooking water as needed by small bits until pasta is moist.
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Add grated Parmesan cheese and remaining a bit more olive oil and toss to coat. Serve by plating the pasta and topping each serving with an egg and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.
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