Breakfast pasta carbonara with breakfast sausage and orange gremolata

Chop two green onions and set aside; chop about a quarter cup of parsley; zest one orange.

Breadcrumbs: cut a lean bread into cubes, ideally a little stale, and let them dry, about 30 minutes for a baguette, or in a very low oven.

Toast the cubes until crisp and a little crunchy, optionally tossed in bacon drippings first; cool on paper towels.

Crush to crumbs in a bag with a rolling pin, or more uniformly in a food processor; store sealed in a glass jar with a desiccant pack.

Gremolata: combine a third of a cup of breadcrumbs, the parsley, the orange zest and about a tablespoon of pork rinds ground in a food processor; set aside.

Put the rigatoni in a large saucepan with cold water to cover by an inch and a teaspoon of salt; bring to a mild boil over medium-high heat, stirring often.

When the water boils, reduce the heat and hold a simmer, stirring, until al dente, five to six minutes.

Meanwhile brown the sausage in a wide heavy skillet over medium-high heat; add the sage and some freshly ground black pepper.

Add the green onions, stir to cook leaving them slightly underdone, and scrape up the brown bits.

Whisk the eggs thoroughly with the grated Pecorino Romano and about a teaspoon of black pepper.

Lift the al dente pasta into the sausage with a strainer or spider, keeping the pasta water; combine with a little of the starchy water.

Kill the heat, add the egg mixture and toss slowly to combine, letting the pan's residual heat cook the egg; add a couple more spoonfuls of pasta water if clunky.

Stir in a third to a half of the crumb mixture and keep stirring about a minute.

Turn out onto plates and garnish with the rest of the breadcrumb mixture.

Variation: bacon or guanciale for the sausage, spaghetti or bucatini for the rigatoni, cooked in a wide straight-sided saute pan so the strands fit.