Fried Egg Pesto Pasta

It's all about the timing which makes it a bit tricky. I finally got it right, and it's really all about getting the pan off the heat at the right time - when the yolks are still runny and glistening.

1 lb dry pasta
2 Tbsps olive oil
¼ tsp crushed red pepper, or to taste
Pinch of salt
¾ cup (6oz/170g) + (42g) ¼ cup pesto
6 eggs

1. The watchword for this recipe is 'timing'. Things need to be lined up just right for the recipe to work, otherwise you get scrambled egg pasta instead of a silky pesto sauce.
2. Cook pasta with a pinch of salt until just al dente. This is important because overdone pasta will be too soft and break easily.
3. Get a large serving plate ready.
4. Break the eggs into a bowl and set aside.
5. When the pasta is cooked, heat the oil in a pan and when very hot add the crushed pepper and the pinch of salt.
6. Add the cooked pasta and pour over the ¾ cup pesto. Mix well by tossing and get the pesto nice and hot.
7. Pour the eggs over the hot noodles and leave to start cooking, giggling the pan a bit to get the whites down into the noodles.
8. When the whites start to form, take the pan off the heat source and break the yolks with a wooden spoon or spatula, and quickly mix up the contents to fold the frying pasta over the eggs.  Mix quickly to distribute the egg and allow the whites to cook a bit in the residual heat, but do not leave long enough to let the yolks cook.
9. Immediately slide onto a large plate and pour over the remaining ¼ cup of pesto, and  and serve. The egg should be soft and creamy.