Pasta for breakfast!

Egg an pasta breakfast for two.

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Ingredients:

To make an egg and bacon pasta breakfast for two, you will need:

150g to 200g spaghetti
4 eggs
150g streaky bacon
A hard cheese of your choice
A teaspoon or two of extra-virgin olive oil or butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper on demand
Fresh green herbs for garnish

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Few hard-working people will deny that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. To confirm this eternal truth, here’s a pasta-based combo that includes most of the flavours associated with a good breakfast.

But instead of the same old, same old, this egg and bacon pasta dish sets you up for the morning. It’s also easy to cook and quick to clean up.

We begin with the pasta, since this takes the longest to cook. Fill a 2â„“ saucepan with lightly salted water. Bring this to a rolling boil and add the spaghetti. Give it a good stir to ensure that all of it slides quickly into the boiling water.

Select a heavy bottomed frying pan and swiftly sauté the bacon, cut either into thin strips or diced. Let these cook for as long as you and your fellow diner require. Crispy bacon is a minority choice, particularly in this context. I tend to let it sizzle until the fat is mostly rendered.

Now crack the four eggs and pour over the bacon. With the hob running at a medium simmer, stir in the egg with a fork, keeping the whole mass moving to avoid adhesions. Just before the eggs are well set, remove the pan from the heat, fit the lid, and keep it on standby.

Now it’s pasta-draining time. And how do we know that the spaghetti is done? Rule number one,
which works for damn near any machine or process I’ve ever used, is “read the manual”. In this case, the instructions are on the packet.

Note however that the times are approximate, since tastes in the degree of pasta doneness are personal. There are those, including this bush cook, who like their pasta really soft. In my partisan view this helps the sauce to stick to the pasta, a highly desirable state of affairs.

People who watch a lot of cooking shows on television have a different view. They like their pasta al dente, which is slightly resistant to the bite. And finally there are those pasta drama queens who chuck a few pasta strands at the ceiling. If it sticks, it’s done. Flies and cockroaches love this method.

Meanwhile, back at floor level, return the frying pan to the hob. As it starts to sizzle, pour in the drained, cooked pasta and stir like hell for a minute. Pour this magnificent combination of flavours and aromas onto the plate, add a couple of tablespoons of grated parmesan, pecorino or strong cheddar over the meal, sprinkle something fresh and green from the herb garden and eat like a king.

Freshly brewed, black, unsweetened espresso coffee gives this meal added mojo. And mojo is what you need first thing in the morning. – David Basckin