Spaghetti and Cured Mullet Roe Frittata Campania - Jacob Kenedy Bocca di Lupo Soho
A pasta frittata, such as this or the one on page 103, is a great way to use up leftover spaghetti, but is hard to cook if the spaghetti are cold. If the pasta is undressed, heat it for 5 seconds in boiling, salted water, or if already covered in sauce, heat it in a frying pan with a dribble of water to moisten. The result will always be best with freshly cooked spaghetti,though – you can leave it slightly undercooked, as it will continue to absorb moisture and soften in the egg.
Kitty Travers (ice-cream doyenne) turned me on to this as a way of using leftover spaghetti with bottarga. Leftover spaghetti with bottarga doesn’t happen often (being delicious, it’s normally finished, and being made with such a rare ingredient, is not a common staple meal), but thisfrittata is so good that I devised a simple recipe to make it straightaway, without the hassle of making leftovers first.
Serves 4 as a starter, 2 as a main
150g spaghetti
60g butter
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf
parsley (optional)
80g bottarga, coarsely grated
1½ tablespoons extra virgin
olive oil
To serve
A little salad
Lemon wedges
Put your pasta on to boil, in already bubbling water seasoned with abundant salt. Balance a bowl over the pot and allow the butter to just melt in it. Remove from the heat and beat in the eggs, parsley andbottarga. Season with a little salt and lots of pepper. Drain the pasta when still rather al dente and stir well, still hot, into the egg mixture. Have already heated (very hot) a 20cm frying pan, one that your frittatawill pretty much fill. Reduce the heat to low, add 1 tablespoon of the oil, swirl it around and pour in the pasta. Shake for a few moments and fry for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Turn out on to a plate which just fits the pan, return the pan to the heat, add the remaining oil and slide thefrittata in. Cook the second side gently for another 2–3 minutes. Poke it a little to try to assess if it is done or not; if not, turn the frittata twice more, cooking for 1 minute each time. It should be just about cooked but slightly runny in the middle; serve with a little salad, and a wedge of lemon if you like.