Cacio e Ova Molisano

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, beaten until homogeneous
• 60 g aged Pecorino Molisano, finely grated; not young or mild
• 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 30 ml olive oil
• 1 pinch dried peperoncino, optional; traditional in many Molisano families

Method

1. 1
   Grate the aged Pecorino Molisano finely. Break the eggs into a bowl, add the grated cheese and the chopped parsley, and beat the mixture until completely integrated — no visible streaks of white or unmixed cheese remain.
2. 2
   Warm the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. The oil should shimmer gently; it must not smoke. Pour in the egg and cheese mixture.
3. 3
   Stir the mixture continuously with a wooden fork, gathering rather than cutting the mass, throughout the entire cooking period. This is where the dish lives or dies: too low a heat produces watery, weeping eggs; too high a heat sets them rubbery; a spatula cuts the curds flat rather than gathering them into the characteristic loose, open lumps. The fork's tines and the medium heat together create the texture that is neither scrambled egg nor frittata.
4. 4
   Remove the pan from the heat while the curds are still slightly wet and moving on themselves. Residual heat completes the cooking. The finished dish should hold large, soft, glossy curds that yield at the press of the fork — not dry, not grainy, not set firm.