Maybe everyone else in the world eats eggs and pasta together all the time–and I’m not talking about egg noodles, but honest to goodness scrambled eggs mixed in with pasta. I was pretty shocked when Danielle McKeon (formerly Danielle Roberts) ordered this dish at a brunch at Hugo’s (called Pasta Mama there and elsewhere. You may encounter Pasta Papas too.) Not because Danielle ordered it, but because I’d never heard of such a thing before in all my life–I blame my Tennessee upbringing but not my parents who can hardly introduce me to something they’ve never encountered themselves. Mom, Dad, you ever hear of eating eggs and pasta together? It’s crazy.

Soon after I was listlessly wandering around my kitchen wondering what I could make that would satisfy my gabby stomach and not take too much time, and I ran across this simple recipe for Eggs with Pecorina and Black Pepper. Pecorina’s a cheese by the way, sort of like Parmesan. So I cooked the dish, ate it, liked it.

Adjustments: I go ahead and scramble the eggs on their own rather than cooking them with the already cooked pasta so they retain creaminess. Creamy eggs weird me out. And when I don’t have pecorina cheese (and I usually don’t), I use Parmesan. Sometimes I toss in some fresh basil shreds too.

Assessment: Hearty and satisfying. Breakfast and dinner together in one bowl!