I was watching an episode of Martha Stewart featuring James Beard Award-winning chefs recently, and Martha asked each of them to share their favorite thing to make when they got home from their restaurants late at night. I always wonder what kinds of things chefs cook when they’re not at work so it was cool to get some insight. There was truffle popcorn and scrambled eggs, fried veggie chips, mashed potatoes and more; frankly, it all looked pretty amazing, but one dish really caught my eye: the late night pasta. If my cooking skills had extended beyond grilled cheese and macaroni and cheese (from a box, of course) in college, this late night pasta is one of the dishes I know I’d have made time and time again. It is late night comfort food to the max!
The chef who made this pasta was Alfred Portale of Gotham Bar and Grill, and he described it as a cross between cacio e pepe (pasta with cheese and black pepper) and pasta carbonara. You start by crisping up some bacon in a skillet, then add black pepper and onion, allowing the onion to soften in the rendered bacon fat before adding just a tiny bit of garlic for more flavor. To this mixture, butter, Parmesan cheese and reserved pasta cooking water are added to create a simple sauce, which is then tossed with spaghetti. Each dish of pasta is topped with a fried egg and a sprinkle of parsley to finish.
It was so utterly satisfying to break the yolk and watch it run over the pasta. Not surprisingly, it was even better to eat! I haven’t fried an egg in so long I’d forgotten how ridiculously good they can be. I reduced both the amount of cheese and butter in this recipe, and it was still plenty rich for us. I never know how a meal that doesn’t involve a sizable piece of meat is going to be received by Shane, but he was still talking about this pasta hours after we ate, which to me is always the surest sign of a recipe worth repeating.
Late Night Pasta
adapted from Martha Stewart
6 oz spaghetti
4 slices bacon, cut into 1/4-1/2-inch pieces
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water according to the package directions. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
While the pasta cooks, add the bacon to a large skillet set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders and the bacon is crisp. Add the onion and pepper to the pan, and continue cooking until the onion softens.
Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a small skillet set over medium-low heat. Crack the eggs into the pan and cook just until the whites are set (the yolks will still be runny). Remove the pan from the heat and keep warm.
Add the garlic to the pan along with the bacon and onion and cook, stirring constantly, just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water, scraping the bottom of the pan to release any browned bits. Reduce the heat to low, and add the drained pasta to the pan, followed by the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter has melted, turn off the heat under the pan. Gradually add the cheese, tossing the pasta with tongs to incorporate. After you’ve added all of the cheese, you can adjust the consistency of the dish with the remaining reserved pasta cooking water.
Divide the pasta between two bowls, and top each serving with one of the fried eggs. Garnish with the chopped parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Mmm this reminds me a bit of pasta carbonara – one of my favorite meals! Looks delicious…
As a great pasta-eater, I’m sure this dish is nothing less than delicious, but to be “late-night” it will need a very good-working belly, to be sure not the spend the rest of the night having nightmares! π
Very nice tip, might want to try it sooner or later.
This was definitely great, thanks for making it!
Anything with an egg on top wins my heart immediately!
Wow! Okay one of these days I’m totally trying this out. Sounds fun.
I, too, always wonder – what do chefs really eat when they aren’t cooking for others?! I eat pasta similar to this all the time but never do I put an egg on top. Trying that next time!
pasta and bacon sure is a winner, my grandmother makes a similar dish, pasta , bacaon and fresh farmer cheese mixed together, we used to put it in a big bowl and eat together from it! It tasted amazing!
anything with egg on top and a runny yolk..awesome. totally will make this sometime soon..maybe after a night out..haha jk, that is not happening but definitely a winner if i did make it after a night out!
Such a satisfying and delicious late night meal!
This late night pasta looks amazing!
This pasta sounds like heaven on a plate! I absolutely cannot wait to try it!! Your post is this week’s Food Porn Friday side bar feature on my blog. π
http://whitelightsonwednesday.blogspot.com/
Yummy, yummy, yummy! This is my favorite kind of pasta dish. Can’t wait to give this a try!
Just looking at this dish is making me hungry; those eggs looks perfectly cooked! I could eat anything topped with runny egg yolk!
Mmm…a fried egg over pasta sounds delicious!
I was thinking the same thing as Ashley. Looks like carbonara. π
Always a good treat!
I don’t like eggs (except in baked goods and on the outside of French toast), but I bet J would just love this. I’ll keep it in mind for the next time we’re at a loss as to what to eat for dinner. =)
You know, carbonara was the first thing I thought of when I saw this dish. Looks yummy, and congratulations on making the foodbuzz Top 9!
Oh my goodness, I’m making this tonight! I love anything with a runny egg on top.
One of the best things I’ve ever eaten! Even with your changes this was a bit greasy for my taste, but I will be putting over easy or poached eggs on servings of Pasta Carbonara from now on.
Tracey, this was amazing! I made it last night and I featured it on my (new!)blog….making sure to tell everyone who and where I got the recipe from with a link to your site and this recipe. You are more than welcome to come on over and visit me! π