Alright already! Here's the infamous spaghetti pie!

Bob’s been after me to make him a spaghetti pie for coming up on three years now. It’s a very simple dish, and I would have gotten around to it sooner if it weren’t for the kids, the job, the house under construction, the personal melodrama. You know - the usual things that make it easy to put off whipping up a spaghetti pie on demand.

Like a lot of the really good Italian food I grew up eating, this is a terrific example of poverty cuisine: amazing food from the simplest, and often cheapest, ingredients. In this case, pasta, eggs, a bit of meat, and some cheese. As with most simple Italian dishes, the quality of ingredients is super important. While you could probably throw this together using Velveeta and cocktail weenies, it wouldn’t be nearly as good and not a bit Italian. So, since the recipe only calls for 4 ounces of meat, get the best quality you can find. Ditto for the cheese. And please, oh please, do not use that nasty sprinkle cheese in the green can. Real Pecorino Romano or Reggiano cheese has an incredible nutty, earthy, slightly tangy-sweet richness that makes the powdered imposter “parmesan” taste like an old sock. 

You can serve this as an entrée, with a green salad. Or, as a great side dish with a roasted meat. And if you like cold pizza, wait till you try this.

Here’s the recipe Bob insists on, reprinted here with zero permission from the publisher. 

 

Spaghetti Pie

 

8 large eggs

½ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano

Freshly ground pepper

1 lb spaghetti or bucatini, cooked al dente and drained

2 oz sliced Genoa salami or soppressata, chopped

2 oz sliced prosiutto or boiled ham, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

4 oz provolone, chopped

 

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, grated cheese, and pepper to taste. You will not need salt, because the meats and cheeses are salty. Add the spaghetti, salami, and prosciutto to the bowl and toss well.

Heat the oil in a 10” nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pour half of the pasta into the skillet. Scatter the provolone on top. Pour on the remaining spaghetti mixture.

Turn the heat to medium-low. Cover the pan and cook 5 minutes. Slide a spatula under the pie and lift it gently around the edges to allow some of the uncooked eggs to slide underneath. Cover and cook 10 minutes, or until the eggs are almost set and the bottom is golden.

Meanwhile, preheat the broiler.

Place the skillet under the broiler to brown the top and finish cooking the eggs, about 3-5 minutes more.

Run a spatula under the pie to loosen it. Lift the handle of the pan and slip the pie out onto a serving platter. Cut into wedges. Serve warm, or at room temperature. Serves 8.

From Entertaining with the Sopranos Warner Books 2006

 

Comments

[carrie]

oh yum..thanks for sharing. Hey it's been since Nov since you updated i wondered if you ever would

[Shelly]

Sounds delicious Sheri! Have a great time with "chit-chat" Bob!

[Laura]

You deserve a gold medal! or gold best friend! but I hope at least someone does the dishes for you :).

[Beth]

It sounds yummy. I will have to try it, I do not eat eggs unless they are baked into something but this sounds so good I will have to try it out. I know my husband will enjoy it.

[dulciel]

My husband told me about a recipe for Balsamic Strawberries that you mentioned on the show -- can't find the recipe. He didn't remember it -- could you post or send it? Thanks, Lynn Dulcie

[Jennifer]

The Strawberry recipe was last May, so look under May 15, 2007.

[Ellen]

One of the chefs on your show said one of the most difficult things about cooking is finding the ingredients in the store. Will you please tell me where to find Pecorino Romano and Genoa salami. Are they in the deli? And prosiutto is in the deli I found when the meat men didn't know, but it was in a dry package - is that the freshest it gets? Oh, and do you know where to get a sharp knife, and who sharpens them now-a-days? And where to find Arborio rice? Thank you so much for any help :).

[shlynch]

If you live in a rural area - like the part of wyoming where I grew up, for example - finding any kind of ethnic or exotic ingredient is tricky. Prosciutto and genoa salami are deli items. There's also a pre-packaged brand called Citterio that's really pretty good. As for the cheeses, again, you'll need a supermarket with a fairly decent cheese selection. When you find a good pecorino romano, locatelli, or parmigiano reggiano cheese, wrap it tightly and freeze it. You can grate it directly from the freezer, and it'll last a long time. (And when it gets down to pieces too small to grate, freeze those too, and the next time you make soup, drop them in before serving and let them melt. So good it's UNREAL. Arborio rice, which is the type of rice used to make risotto, is becoming easier to find in grocery stores. If it isn't stocked with the other kinds of rice, check the international aisle. You can find all of these items online, but of course you'll pay more and have to deal with shipping. I'm the wrong person to ask about knives. Mine are all dull as can be, which is a good thing. The last time I had a really sharp knife, I damn near took my thumb off.

[Jen Blackwell]

Thanks for the recipe Sheri! Some of the best knives ever are Miracle Blades - you can pick them up at some grocery stores now, but definitely online!

[Ellen]

Thank you so much! The way you and Bob talk about cooking and wine really inspires me.

[Kathleen]

I have been wondering what all the hoopla was about with Spaghetti Pie - Now I will find out.

No kidding about the knives - unfortunately I allow kids and husband to share in the loading of the dishwasher and no matter how many times I tell them the dishwasher dulls the knives I find them in there all the time.

[Donna]

I'm entering this pie in a potluck cooking challenge. Wish me luck!!

[Christina]

Sheri - This really made me laugh...your comment about the cheese out of the green can is exactly the center of the argument that my husband and I have every time I cook something from my childhood upbringing in a very italian family. I keep telling him that my grandmother is probably flipping in her grave right now because I married someone who thinks that 6 months is long enough to age good cheese! I'm definitely going to make this tonight and hide that darn can of cheese before he gets home! Thanks for the recipe....

[Regina Smith]

Hi Sheri: The recipe sounds great, but I wonder, will it be a bit dry? Do we serve with some marinara on the side?

[shlynch]

Hi Regina - no, it's not dry at all. I had the same thought, and also happen to think that anything, including dirt, is edible if you put enough marinara sauce on it. Just so long as you don't overbake it, this pie has just the right texture. And you wouldn't want to drown out the flavors.

[madison]

hi im madison i want to talk to olivea