Today's been one of those days when dinner menu was thought & schemed in less than 30 seconds: generated as a carrot came into my vision field.
This is a pasta dish I learned from an old friend's mother; I don't think we're that friends anymore but there are things and memories that keep humans connected - even against our will - and food is one of those things. I find this brilliant. A past experience to still connect us in the present. Well, in this case, in my present. So, this being a recipe from my childhood, this post is aptly named 'un salto nel passato': a step back in time.
When memories and senses connect it always comes to mind the "petite madeleine" Proust described in his Recherche. In my case though, it was sight, rather than taste that jogged my memory and pushed me to recreate this recipe, but the effect was quite similar. And welcome.
Enough with the rambling, here's the recipe:
Serves 1
2/3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium/large carrot thinly sliced
1/2 onion chopped
250/350 ml vegetable stock made with...
...1/2 good quality vegetable stock cube (I go for yeast-free Just Bouillon)
1 egg
70 gr spaghetti (wholemeal work well here)
Put a pot of salty water on the cooker and bring to a boil.
Heat 2/3 tbs of oil in frying pan, add the onion and fry for 10 minutes. Add the sliced carrot and let it cook for a few minutes before adding the stock.
Hopefully your water in the pot is now boiling, so you can drown your spaghetti to cook them.
Carrots and onions need to simmer for 15 minutes or until the carrots are cooked to your taste (ideally you want them al dente, like pasta) and the stock has dried leaving a nice sauce. Turn off the heat and remove the pan from the cooker.
Crack an egg in a plate and mix it, then add it to the carrot & onion mix. This should still be warm enough but not too hot as to cook the egg. You're not making frittata!
Drain your spaghetti and dress with the carrot & onion mix.
Enjoy whilst reading "Du côté de chez Swann". Or not.
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