Spaghetti Alla Puveriello - Poor Man's Spaghetti

Spaghetti alla Puveriello, or Poor Man’s Spaghetti, was invented in Naples during the war when ingredients were in short supply. It's nothing more than spaghetti mixed with a little bit of fried egg and some cheese.  Traditionally the eggs were fried with lard but I know this is not easy to find so you can use a combination of butter and olive oil instead. Super simple but really delicious, this is another great cucina povera dish.  And next time you're making a carbonara and accidentally scramble your eggs, tell them you were making this instead!

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 30g butter and extra virgin olive oil (or lard)
• 50g pecorino cheese 
• 200g spaghetti
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Start by cooking your spaghetti straight away in plenty of salted boiling water.
2. Meanwhile, on a medium heat add the butter and a drizzle of  olive oil to a large frying the pan. Fry two eggs until the white is fully cooked and the yolk is still nice and runny.  Season with freshly ground black pepper and then scramble the eggs. 
3. Add a ladle or two of the pasta water to to stop the frying process, then add the spaghetti straight to the pan and give it a good stir. Turn the heat off and finish with another ladle of pasta water and loads of grated pecorino cheese. Give it a good final stir to achieve a creamy consistency and cover to keep warm. 
4. In a separate pan, fry another egg per person to serve on top of each plate of spaghetti. 
5. Serve up the spaghetti and add the fried egg on top and a touch of black pepper. Enjoy.

Watch the recipe video

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