Bow Tie Pasta with Fried Eggs

This quick and easy recipe serves 4.   Jacques Pepin is one of my favorite televsion chefs and his book Fast Food My Way is great for the home chef who desires easy and delicious recipes.  This one takes 15 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

• 12 oz bow tie pasta (about 6 c)
• 1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 Tb minced fresh chives
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 Tb unsalted butter
• 8 large eggs
• 1 1/3 c grated Swiss, Gruyere or Emmenthaler cheese (about 7 oz)

INSTRUCTIONS
Boil 3 qts water and add pasta. Cook about 12 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine oil, chives, salt and pepper in a bowl large enough to hold the cooked pasta.
When the pasta is cooked, drain well and add to bowl. Mix well. Cover and set aside.

Melt butter and fry eggs uncovered about 2 minutes or until whites are set.

To serve, Jacques suggests:
Spoon half the pasta into a warm bowl and top with some of the cheese. Top with eggs and add more cheese. Top with remaining pasta, without completely covering the eggs. Each person should get a good mix of pasta/cheese and 2 eggs.

But, here’s what I do:
Place pasta in a warm bowl for each person. Cover with some of cheese, top with two eggs, top with cheese, top with some more pasta.

The bow tie pasta is great for catching the yolk.