Nancy Silverton's Pappardelle with Bagna Cauda, Wilted Radicchio and an Olive-Oil-Fried Egg

I've been eating pretty well lately. More than pretty well, spectacularly even. You already know all about my delicious adventures in Los Angeles and, frankly, my kitchen's been quite good to me lately, too. It's almost too good to be true. From honey dates and kumquats to gai lan and braised fennel, I have been bandying about the superlatives with an uncharacteristically heavy hand. Which makes me a little nervous. Because what if you, my dear readers, start to question all this enthusiasm? Have I been waxing too rhapsodic lately? Am I still credible if I rave, yet again, about something that might be the most delicious thing I've ever tasted?

I guess I have to hope that you trust me. And tell you that if you don't listen to me on this one, you will seriously be missing out on a meal that had me practically laughing with glee as I ate it last night. Is that the corniest thing you've ever read? I swear it's true. It was that good. Unbelievably good.

I-can't-believe-my-taste-buds good.

I got the recipe from Sunday's New York Times Magazine, where Christine Muhlke reviewed Nancy Silverton's latest book, A Twist of the Wrist. I now covet this book with a burning lust. (Well, to be honest, I did before I tried the recipe, too. But now? My lust has reached alarming heights.) Because if this dish was so ridiculously good, who knows what else is hiding in there? I have to find out. I simply have to.

But while I'm off ghosting around the aisles of the bookstore, do me a favor and get yourselves to the kitchen, post-haste, to make this for dinner. Even you anchovy-haters! I promise up, down and side-to-side that you will love this, too. I know it. (Just make someone else cook it for you, so you don't get all squee-ed out by the hairy fish factor.)

You melt a bunch of anchovies into some olive oil (I left out the butter - it seemed like too much fat for me) with what seems like an inordinate amount of minced garlic. The key is to do this over low heat, so the garlic barely colors and the anchovies really disintegrate. One minute little fish fillets are fizzing about in your pan, the next minute they've just...melted into aromatic nothingness. You turn off the heat, add lemon zest, lemon juice, minced parsley and shredded radicchio and stir it around until the radicchio is slick with oil and everything is well-combined.

You then toss boiled noodles (I used regular egg noodles, in the spirit of Nancy's "convenience cooking") in the pan with the anchovied radicchio until the sauce is fragrant and the radicchio is wilted (extra pasta water ensures that nothing dries out). Each plate is topped with grated Parmigiano and a fried egg with a molten yolk. This means that when you use your fork to break the egg, the yolk oozes all over the pasta and binds it together with this luscious, golden, savory sauce. The salty anchovies, the sweet garlic, the acidic lemon, the fragrant peel, the bitter radicchio, and the rich egg all meld into a spectacular combination of flavors that you can't really identify when they're harmonizing together in your mouth.

It's quite remarkable. In fact, I'm really kind of in awe. How did Nancy figure this one out? This creation is proof (if the myriad restaurants and bakeries, previous books, and other related ventures weren't already) of serious, serious talent. Trust me when I say this is among the best things to ever come out of my kitchen. I'm laminating, Hall-of-Faming this one. Oh, yes. I think you will, too.

You won't be able to help yourself.

Egg Pappardelle With Bagna Cauda, Wilted Radicchio and an Olive-Oil-Fried Egg
Serves 4

For the pappardelle and bagna cauda:
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
15 anchovy fillets
8 large garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
12 radicchio leaves, torn into small pieces
Grated zest and juice of half a lemon
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 ounces egg pappardelle

For finishing the dish:
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 large eggs
Parmesan cheese
1 heaping tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1. To make the bagna cauda, place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, anchovies and garlic and cook, breaking up the anchovies with a fork and stirring constantly, until the anchovies dissolve and the garlic is soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in the parsley, radicchio and lemon zest and juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Prepare the pasta by bringing a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add enough kosher salt until the water tastes salty and return to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente.

3. To finish the dish, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat until the oil is almost smoking, about 2 minutes. Break 1 egg into a small bowl and pour into the skillet. When it just begins to set around the edges, break the second egg into the bowl and pour into the skillet. (By waiting a moment before adding the next egg, the eggs won’t stick together.) Repeat with the remaining 2 eggs. Cook until the edges are golden, the whites are set and the yolks are still runny.

4. Use tongs to lift the pasta out of the water and transfer it quickly, while it’s dripping with water, to the skillet with the bagna cauda. Place the skillet over high heat. Toss the pasta to combine the ingredients and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more.

5. Using tongs, divide the pasta among 4 plates, twisting it into mounds. Grate a generous layer of cheese over each. Place an egg over the cheese. Sprinkle the parsley over the pasta and serve with more grated cheese and pepper.

Comments

[Molly]

This sounds like classic Nancy Silverton - and a-maz-ing! I had read the article and was curious about how the recipe would turn out - so happy to know it's a Hall of Famer!

But since we're on the topic of this new book, I don't know - I have to confide that the review left me a little confused. At first I thought the book was sort of a "semi-homemade" thing, a la Sandra Lee(!!!!), but then, looking at the recipes, I was confused. I mean, for this dish, the only thing remotely convenience-y is the dried pasta, which I don't think of as a real convenience food. I wonder if the book's premise isn't a little gimmicky, or, worse, kind of elitist? I guess it's a maybe new departure for Nancy Silverton to use dried pasta, but for me, it's just reality.

What do you think?

[jenblossom]

Wow, this looks and sounds amazing! Definitely on the to-try list.

[deb]

This looks delicious, and I love, love, love a soft-cooked egg binder on any pasta. Now, if I could just get over my anchovy issues. (I DO taste them! Why do people always tell me I won't?)

I agree with Molly about the review, though. I mean, are we supposed to start apologizing for using canned tuna and still calling ourselves cooks? Who makes their own orzo? Are we forgiven for our semi-homemade sins because Silverton uses canned beans, too? As if there is any practicality in making your own mayo when you only need one tablespoon. I'll stop ranting now.

[Mary]

This looks great. I love any recipe that begins with melty anchovies and an overload of garlic (this is how we start red clam sauce in our kitchen). I agree with Molly and Deb, though, this book does sound a little gimmicky. But, from the looks of this recipe and the other things I've seen by Nancy Silverton, I'm willing to go to the bookstore and at least leaf through it. Let us know if you find any other keepers in this book.

[Janice]

Hi Luisa,
First time commenter, long-time admirer. I also made a note to try this as soon as I saw it this past Sunday. I'm glad to hear it turned out as delicious as it looks! Did you make the butterscotch budino for dessert??

[Leah]

Ok, this is getting ridiculous. Just a few moments ago, I printed the Nancy Silverton article to remind myself to try the pappardelle some time in the next week. And then I trotted over here to see what you were up to, and lo! Of course, now I'm even more eager to try it. And if you knew how eager I was already - after the weekend I just spent in Berkeley and Oakland stuffing myself silly, followed by an absolute disaster in the kitchen last night - you'd be impressed with just how eager I can get.

By the way, I'm with Molly. I was looking for all the the "convenience" items in the recipes listed with the article, and I'm stumped. Okay, maybe anchovy fillets? And the pasta, like Molly said? The dessert uses pre-made biscotti (I assume) and canned pears, so that's a little more in-tune with what she was saying. Maybe these aren't the best representations of the whole book, but if they are... Color me confused too!

[aileen]

Oh, I have long been coveting this book! But I had hesitations too. I trust Nancy Silverton, but I was scared, maybe, that it might be another of those "can and casserole" concepts. (I can confess that I may have some Amazon scar tissue after a few years of searching for an inspiring cookbook that won't make me feel guilty, or imperfect, for choosing to live so far from access to fresh vegetables or a friendly butcher. Goodness knows, I'm hard enough on myself to find ways to compensate for the 500 airmiles to the nearest source of any kind of organic, non-hormoned ingredients - aside from fish & game, of course, which is right outside the door.)

I was so happy to discover this cookbook review in the NYT that I even read it before the Sunday Weddings Section! Until I came back to reality and realized that I had no hope of being able to find any radicchio in the local stores, I was all set to give this same recipe a try. If good, I'd mail order for the book. If not, I'd still give it a chance - I would just wait until my next trip to town where they have a bookstore (and, conveniently, my hairdresser - though the state of the locks has, I'm afraid, deteriorated well past the mere concern of convenience). I was in the process of devising alterations and adjusments (probably cabbage), when you posted this and I can vicariously experience the proof I need to mail-order! And then you post this on the very same day that I discovered and signed up for a new aero-delivery CSA from Washington State! My very own box of organic, family-farmed vegetables! The glee of it all!

Oh, Fate is being very kind with me! Keep your fingers crossed that there be radicchio! Mine are.

[Grant]

I was wondering about this book too. I have her other book on the most complicated sandwiches ever conceived and I recently checked out her other book about the food of Campenile and while I love her, both books seem frustratingly fussy and unrealistic. Then when I saw this one, I questioned if Ms. Silverton had sold out. But as others have pointed out, her short cuts just seem to be everyday conveniences that I'm sure all of us use.

Either way, this dish looks great. Nancy seems to love putting eggs on things. Did you get a chance to go to Mozza when you were out here?

[Luisa]

I had a quick peek at the book between a work date and dinner with Ben and his mother, so I couldn't give it a ton of attention, but Nancy says right off the bat that the book was specifically meant for people who have never bought a jar of mayo in their lives and for whom cooking ALWAYS means starting from scratch. Chef-y people, I suppose, though I admit that I have never bought a jar of mayo in my life either (though that probably has more to do with the fact that I just don't like mayo, but whatever, I digress) and I'd hardly call myself chef-y.

I don't think Nancy's trying to be elitist or say that she expects you to make your own orzo (she definitely doesn't). To me, Nancy's trying to promote pantry cooking - using up the stuff most of us already have. The recipes ARE fancy, compared to Rachel Ray's 30-minute stuff, and some of them I would never in a million years approach (and yes, a lot of them call for stuff that is hardly canned or dried or jarred). But I think the idea of making good food with things found in your pantry is a clever, if not original one, and some of the recipes seem quite special.

As for this recipe specifically? The only thing I had to buy was radicchio - everything else was in my pantry already, from the oil to the anchovies to the pasta to the cheese to the eggs. So to me, this was convenience food and a 30-minute meal all wrapped up in one.

Grant - yes! I went to Mozza and had a transcendant pizza and then that butterscotch budino. Dreamy. Have you been yet?

Aileen - cabbage would be a fine substitute, I think. Oh man, I feel for you all the way out there with no fresh vegetables. What frustration! So glad to hear you'll be getting some greens soon.

Leah - great minds think alike! I envy your NoCal dining... I need to get myself out there soon soon soon.

Janice - hi there! So glad to have you, and thanks for delurking. I STILL haven't made the budino, but I promise I will. Soon. I hope. Soon!

Mary - it's worth leafing through. I found it a little more intimidating in person, I have to say. But I'll try the other recipes in the Times article and reserve further judgment until then, I think.

Deb - okay. Hmm. I really do think that if you didn't know anchovies were in this, you might not taste them. We will have to do a test. Maybe in return for some salted caramel ice cream?! :)

JenBlossom - yes! You will not be disappointed. I just had the leftovers and a freshly fried egg for lunch - yum.

Molly - like I said up there, some of the the book is a but fancy for me (and the cover is so oddly 80's, but that's a whole other discussion), but I just took away from the book that she's just really into cooking from scratch and decided this would be a big departure for her. See you in a few days! Yay.

[Mercedes]

I just hope that SIlverton's new book gets more people to cook food with real ingredients- to show people a new way of looking at fast and convenient.

I totally clipped the article, but I'm really coveting the salad recipe (yes date vinagrette!). I'm glad the pasta gets such a ringing endorsement too.

[Lydia]

I've been holding off on buying this book, too, but now that I'm reading this mouthwatering recipe, I feel my self-control slipping away. I love any book that's all about using pantry items as the foundation for (not as a substitute for) good home cooking.

[Anna]

I must confess that I have never eaten, nevermind purchased anchovies. But your glowing review (and the fact that I have half a head of radicchio in the fridge waiting to be eaten) has made me rethink this. But, I have no idea how to buy decent anchovies -- or even what aisle of grocery store I'd find them in. Ideas?

[Luisa]

Mercedes - I agree that that'd be nice... As for the salad, I'm sort of intrigued and a little weirded out - a fruity salad dressing might be something I have to taste to believe ;)

Lydia - Some people say you really only need one good recipe to make a book purchase worthwhile. This book's definitely got that one recipe!

Anna - my Sicilian uncle, who is something of an expert on anchovies, would have you buy a massive tin of salt-packed ones at an Italian wholesale food store, then make you go through the process of desalinating them and then packing them in olive oil. I'm sure that's why his always taste so good, but that's hardly realistic for most of us.

In grocery stores, they are usually in the canned fish section, near the tuna and sardines and salmon. You could also seek them out at a fancy foods store where you'd be more likely to find imported Italian ones. But the grocery store is fine, too - the anchovies I used for this dish were Cento brand, oil-packed in a little yellow tin.

Just remember that once you've opened the tin, you really want to move the unused anchovies to an airtight container. (I put the remainder of mine in a glass jar, poured in oil to cover, closed the jar tightly and put it in the fridge.) Hope this helps!

[lobstersquad]

wow, that was quick. I filed this recipe just yesterday, and now you´ve convinced me I need to make it inmediately. minus the fried egg for me, I think.

[ann]

I make dishes like this for afterwork dinners all the time. I think I learned it from Lidia. Anchovies + Garlic + Greens + Acid = Quick, simple, healthy, delicious dinners! I usually top mine with a poached egg though. The flavor of fried eggs "squee" me out (where did you come up with that phrase, it's hilarious!

[Jess]

I just made it for dinner -- yum! Used baby spinach instead of radicchio and anchovy paste instead of anchovies, so I didn't have to go shopping. It was delicious.

[almost vegetarian]

Wonderful dish, this. I'm dumping eggs on all sorts of things these days (asparagus, fries, what-have-you) and it is lovely. What to dump an egg on next? Hmmm, your recipe looks like the dump-an-egg winner.

Cheers!

[sue]

oooooo, screw the low carb thing and bring on the noodle-y deliciousness!
do you think this recipe would still be awesomely delicious w/more vegs tossed in?

[Luisa]

Ximena - no egg? Really? Are you sure? Are you really, really sure? (I think you get my drift ;)

Ann - wait. What is the difference between a poached and a fried egg, flavorwise? Interesting. I think a poached egg would be lovely in this dish. Just make sure the yolk is still nice and liquid!

Jess - so glad you liked this too! Isn't it nice to cook something "real" without going shopping?

Almost Veg - I couldn't agree with you more about the eggs. You should check out the recent LATimes article about eggs if it's still online. There are some good recipes in there!

Sue - Yes! Screw the low-carb thing! Isn't it all about the calories in the end? I actually think there's just the right amount of radicchio and parsley in here, so I wouldn't add more, but to each his (her) own, you know? Add more veg if you like! Enjoy it, most importantly ;)

[lobstersquad]

Oh, I don´t know, fried eggs...too much like real work. Maybe if I convinced my mother to serve this for lunch, at her house?

[Leah]

OH MY GOD. I made this last night. I died. Of happiness. I even wrote about it on my own blog (which is saying something) it was so good.

[aileen]

Delicious! And deliciously so! I'm glad to report that I got ahold of some radicchio, so I'm not even saying delicious about an adaptation with cabbage! Thank you for giving that extra oomph of encouragement to get me to find some radicchio!

[lobstersquad]

lust overcame me. I´ve ordered the book, I´m now hopping with excitement until it arrives.
you were totally right about the fried egg, of course.

[Tatiana]

Oh wow - this is the first time I've been compelled to post - for so many reasons. I have been making this dish at home for several months now after enhansing a Mark Bittman recipe (of all people) from his How To Cook Everything. I am a cook who gets along well with his recipes - mostly to get inspired and guided rather than measure each ingredient to a T. So... riffing on his pasta with anchovies and garlic I toss in mushrooms and asparagus when in season, proceed exactly as outlined and top with an egg. It really is amazing! Glad you discovered it. Only takes 10 min. too

[Eileen (passions to pastry)]

Here I am commenting on an 8 month old post, but I was just at Nancy Silverton's restaurants Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza (in the same weekend!)and I'm feverishing looking all over the web for N.S. recipes. Both of the restaurants are amazing and this recipe sounds fantastic. Thanks.

[The Pearl Onion]

Hi Luisa! I got a pasta maker for Christmas so of course I am now looking for recipes to give me an excuse to use my new toy. I found this one and your review convinced me to try it, and it was great! Though I found that cooking the anchovies on medium high heat was waaayy too high--my anchovies & oil were spitting so much I had to stand 5 feet away! Though may be the anchovies had too much water in them? I got them at Manhattan Fruit Exchange, and they were freshly marinating in oil waiting to be bought by pound. Anyway, I loved it so thank you (and my homemade pasta was great too) :-)