Trying to make “Italian brunch” happen
I’m a big fan of breakfast. I almost always wake up hungry, instantly craving an omelette, a bagel, toast…anything really. I’m always indecisive at restaurants, but I’m especially overwhelmed when we go out for breakfast. Matt ends up choosing my meal almost every time.
The sad truth is that Italians don’t really do hearty breakfasts. I spent a weekend skiing in Bardonecchia, Italy with my dear friend and former roommate from Torino. Though I was hanging out on the greens and blues, she and her family ski hard (like, double and triple black diamonds). I was stunned when each of them headed to the slopes after consuming a mere brioche and a cup of coffee for breakfast. The ski instructor probably heard my stomach growling through layers of snow gear.
Matt, being the dear blog/Instagram husband that he is, suggested that we do a riff on our morning favorite, eggs Benedict, for an article. Before researching the dish, I assumed it was French or British in origin (probably because Hollandaise is one of the five essential French sauces and, well, Benedict Cumberbatch is British?). Turns out no one really knows who to credit for eggs Benedict, but one thing is for sure: it is undoubtedly un-Italian.
We brainstormed how to make the brunch classic more Mediterranean. The essentials are usually English muffin, ham or Candian bacon, poached eggs, and hollandaise.
Our substitutes:
Herbed focaccia
Pancetta
Poached Eggs
Carbonara sauce
It’s possible any Italian natives reading this are screaming at us, and that’s okay. We absolutely took a risk on this dish, but brunch lends itself to interpretation anyway! I’m sure my Torinese friend would at least be thrilled we omitted the Hollandaise (she is a passionate supporter of Italy in the Italian vs. French culture debate). We chose focaccia as we thought the hilly landscape would aid in soaking up any dribbling sauce and the herbs provide more flavor than plain English muffin. The pancetta seemed an obvious substitute while the carbonara was a bit of a wild card. There doesn’t seem to be an Italian counterpart to Hollandaise, but both carbonara and Hollandaise rely on egg yolks as their base. Traditional carbonara (though its history is as mysterious as eggs Benedict’s) is also served with guanciale or pancetta crumbles mixed in, so we knew it already had a breakfast-y element. Assuming carbonara would taste good in the morning seemed a safe bet.
The Verdict
In all honesty, I bought the focaccia at Wegmans. I wasn’t ready to embark on a full bread-making lesson on a Saturday morning, as I have yet to try making focaccia. Same goes for carbonara (though I had the real thing in Rome and it was deliziosa). I followed a Bon Appetit carbonara recipe closely, despite feeling foolish for making a pot of pasta solely for the starchy water - there is now a container of undressed penne in my fridge. At least I knew how to poach eggs, because that is perhaps the most difficult part of eggs Benedict sans-Hollandaise.
Overall, our brunch was fine. Was “eggs Benedetto” my best showing in the kitchen? Certainly not. I’d need a few more rehearsals before serving this dish to guests. Matt was right to warn me that the focaccia would be too thick, and I made the mistake of cooking the carbonara in the leftover pancetta grease. What I thought would add richness resulted in way too much salt. When Matt says something is too salty, you KNOW it’s too salty.
My now puffy, sodium-infused face aside, the addition of Italian ingredients like herbed focaccia and pecorino packed a punch that the classic dish lacks. Had I been hungover, this Italian eggs Benny definitely would have cured me. I’d just be leaving brunch more dehydrated than when I arrived.
