Egg Topped Soba Noodles with Asparagus and prosciutto

So thanks to my coupon addiction, I happened to get 4 dozen organic eggs for a fraction of the cost. I was really excited about my purchase and my efficient use of coupons and couldn't wait to brag to my mom about how great of a couponer I had become!

Although I did eventually get sick of having 4 dozen eggs to myself, I was able to find a recipe from epicurious.com and try a new recipe, using soba noodles- something I've actually never had before! Wow am I a bad asian...

So I made Egg-Topped Soba Noodles with Asparagus and Prosciutto:

Recipe follows:

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4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

5 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

1 3-ounce package thinly sliced prosciutto, cut crosswise into strips

8 large eggs

1 9.5-ounce package thin soba noodles

1 pound asparagus, ends trimmed, cut on sharp diagonal into 1/8-inch-thick slices

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus additional cheese shavings

Heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic; stir 30 seconds. Add prosciutto strips; cook until slightly crisp. Remove from heat. Set aside.
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in each of 2 nonstick skillets over medium heat. Crack 4 eggs into each skillet. Cook on 1 side until eggs begin to set, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover; set aside.
Cook soba noodles in large pot of boiling salted water 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add sliced asparagus to pot; cook until noodles are cooked through and asparagus is just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain noodles and asparagus, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid.
Add drained noodles and asparagus to prosciutto mixture in skillet. Cook over medium heat until heated through, tossing and adding reserved cooking liquid by 1/4 cupfuls to moisten.
Remove skillet from heat. Add grated Parmesan cheese and remaining 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil and toss to coat. Divide among 8 plates. Top each serving with 1 egg and cheese shavings. Serve immediately.

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So a few things... first off, don't overcook  your soba noodles. They cook really fast and you can easily overcook them, making them really mushy and starchy. A big no no. So keep an eye out on them!

This recipe was interesting, a unique Japanese twist with an italian influence! The crispy, salty prosciutto was great (especially as a cooking snack)

The crunchy asparagus provided great contrast (do not over cook them either), and in the end the dish came out really successful!

Maybe I just find a runny egg incredibly sexy and delicious, but having the yolk mix in with the garlic infused olive oil made a great 'sauce' and really took the soba noodles to another level. 

And of course, make sure to use fresh eggs and good olive oil! Especially when olive oil is 'sauce' of the dish, you want nothing but the best (yes, i used my special olive oil that i got from my summer trip in Italy for this dish)

I really enjoyed this dish but I would say that the recipe made way too much for one person. The tastes are subtle and not over powering and the dish itself is very light, but I'm not a pig! (Ok, I am)

Very simple and easy to make, i would say it would be good to give it a try. This is great for those who are busy and don't have more than 30 minutes to make a meal.  I'm not sure how often I would make it, but it is something new a refreshing- enjoy!

Taste: 8
Time: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy