Dear SooN Cooks of the Internet,

A few life circumstances led me to this SooN discovery. First, Randy was diagnosed with Celiac which led me to discover that I don’t like gluten-free flour. That sort of eliminated most of my go-to brunch selections like Eggs Benedict, French Toast or Pancakes in favor of Sicilian Eggs with Creamy Parmesan Polenta.

Next, I learned that it is too difficult to host a dinner party when you have two small children. But brunch? If you want to continue hosting meals but don’t want to try and balance entertaining with toddler negotiations over bath and bedtime then BRUNCH is the best solution for you.

This recipe in particular is excellent for parents-with-toddler-brunches because you can make it in advance and it will keep warm in the oven or on low for hours! It also reheats well and has become another classic Serve or Reserve favorite.

I cannot wait to hear what you think of it! Please share your comments in the comment section!

Enjoy,

New to SooN COOKING?

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Suggested Hardware

Cast iron skillet
Air fryer [optional]
Large Pot [For SooN COOKING EXPRESS only]
Microplane
Wooden spatula
Chef’s knife
Cutting board
Tasting spoons [from your flatware set − these are mine]
Olive oil cruet
Cole & Mason Salt and Pepper grinder

Ingredients

6 eggs (farm fresh if possible)
(2) 28oz cans San Marzano Tomatoes
1 package frozen artichoke hearts
1 TBS capers
8 oz Prosciutto di Parma (exclude for Vegetarian, Kosher, Halal)
8 oz chopped spinach
1/2 cup minced shallot
1/4 cup white cooking wine for SooN COOKING ORIGINAL only (I use Charles Shaw)
8 oz burrata or substitute for fresh mozzarella if you cannot find the burrata (If in Seattle Metropolitan Market makes their own and sells just the filling. Get that if you can swing it − it’s incredible.)
1 cup Microplaned Parmigiano Reggiano
~2 TBS minced garlic cloves (~6-8 cloves cut fresh or use the equivalent in frozen or fresh prepack)
2 TBS Italian Herb Mix (either fresh minced oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, a dried Italian herb blend, or my favorite − Italian Herbs stir-in paste
1 TBS fresh chopped Italian parsley (for garnish)
2 TBS olive oil
10 turns salt (~1/4 tsp)
10 turns pepper (~1/4 tsp)
Optional for spice: red pepper flake
Optional for dipping: 1 fresh baguette (if in Seattle, I think the Columbia City Bakery makes the best baguette in the city )

Other Critical Information

In my opinion, Sicilian Egg’s life partner is Creamy Parmesan Polenta. However, if you have a corn allergy or simply don’t like Polenta, it would also pair well with Simple Roasted Baby Potatoes.

New to SooN Cooking?

No problem! Some quick background on the concept: I love to cook and realized that I often had to adjust my meal plan to accomodate for for my friends and family with dietary requirements when they joined me for a meal. More often than not, I didn’t know how to modify my recipe to address their dietary needs which launched me into some deep research and left me with a lot of fear, uncertainty and doubt that I was preparing the recipe the right way for my guest. A concept that I now call Meal Planning FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt). To combat Meal Planning FUD each of my recipes has eight variations which covers everything from vegetarian to Kosher to gluten-free so that you can cut the Meal Planning FUD out of your life and feel comfortable serving the recipe to a variety of guests.

Check out the SooN Cooking About page for the complete details.

Choose your SooN ADVENTURE™

SooN COOKING Original

Preheat oven to 400°
If using the air fryer, drop the frozen artichoke hearts into the fryer basket and cook at 400° for 20 minutes, at the 10 minute mark — add the capers, then drizzle a little olive oil on it and mix for even browning. Set aside when complete.
On high heat, drizzle a little olive oil on the pan and cook the prosciutto (like you would bacon) so it is crispy and brown. You’ll need to do this in batches so set aside the cooked prosciutto on a paper towel.
If you are not using the air fryer drop the frozen artichoke hearts in and cook until nicely browned. Then add the capers before moving to #5. This step will take 15-20 minutes.
Now add a little more olive oil and brown the garlic for about 2 minutes.
Deglaze the pan by adding the white wine and using the liquid to get all the browned bits up. This is great flavor!!!
Now add the shallots and spinach and sauté for 2 minutes.
Mix in the tomatoes and remaining herbs/spices and cook for 2 minutes (or until bubbling).
Remove from heat.
Use a tasting spoon to “crack” your burrata ball and separate the burrata filling from the mozzarella. Evenly distribute the cheese then top with grated parmesan.
Bake ~15 minutes then remove.
Use a tasting spoon to create 6 wells for the eggs. One in the center, the other five circling around it.
Now drop your eggs in each well.
Bake 15-20 minutes until the whites are cooked. (If you prefer your yokes to be cooked completely, cook about 5 minutes more.)
To finish, and to brown and bubble the burrata – broil on low for 30-60 seconds. Keep your eye on it so it doesn’t burn too much.
Cool for ~ 5 minutes then top with the crispy prosciutto, fried artichokes and capers (if you used the air fryer) and chopped Italian Parsley.
Serve over Creamy Parmesan Polenta or with a baguette for dipping.

SooN COOKING Express

The SooN COOKING Original recipe is as fast as I can make it! However, this is a great Serve or Reserve™ recipe. To do this, double the tomatoes, shallot, spinach, garlic, capers and herbs/spices and follow the directions in SooN COOKING Original through step 10. I later refer to this mixture as “Sicilian Eggs Base”. (If you plan to use the air fryer you would just use the single quantity but if you do not use an air fryer then double the artichokes too.) Then cut the quantity in half and reserve for later by freezing in Ziploc bags.

To prepare your reserve quantity, follow these directions:

Preheat oven to 400°.
Remove the Ziploc and place the frozen Sicilian Eggs base in the large pot and cover.
Using medium heat, defrost the Sicilian Eggs base. This step will take ~15 minutes.
If using the air fryer, drop the frozen artichoke hearts into the fryer basket and cook at 400° for 20 minutes, at the 10 minute mark — add the capers, then drizzle a little olive oil on it and mix for even browning. Set aside when complete.
On high heat, drizzle a little olive oil on the cast iron skillet and cook the prosciutto (like you would bacon) so it is crispy and brown. You’ll need to do this in batches so set aside the cooked prosciutto on a paper towel.
If you are not using the air fryer drop the frozen artichoke hearts in and cook until nicely browned. Then add the capers before moving onto step #7. This step will take 15-20 minutes.
Now add the defrosted Sicilian Eggs base.
Use a tasting spoon to “crack” your burrata ball and separate the burrata filling from the mozzarella. Evenly distribute the cheese then top with grated parmesan.
Bake ~15 minutes then remove.
Use a tasting spoon to create 6 wells for the eggs. One in the center, the other five circling around it.
Now drop your eggs in each well.
Bake 15-20 minutes until the whites are cooked. (If you prefer your yokes to be cooked completely, cook about 5 minutes more.)
To finish, and to brown and bubble the burrata – broil on low for 30-60 seconds. Keep your eye on it so it doesn’t burn too much.
Cool for ~ 5 minutes then top with the crispy prosciutto, fried artichokes and capers (if you used the air fryer) and chopped Italian Parsley.
Serve over Creamy Parmesan Polenta or with a baguette for dipping.

SooN COOKING Vegetarian

Omit the prosciutto and follow the SooN COOKING Original recipe when serving to a Vegetarian. If I have both meat and veggie diets at the table I will just cook the prosciutto in a separate pan and serve it on the side for those who want to opt in.

Not familiar with a Vegetarian diet? Learn more using the SooN LIVING Dietary Requirements Decoder™.

SooN COOKING Kosher

Make sure to use Kosher certified products when serving this dish to someone who keeps Kosher. Most importantly, this does not include prosciutto which is made from pork. I also can’t imagine this dish without the parmesan and bubbly browned burrata so I’d just keep this a dairy dish and follow the SooN COOKING ORIGINAL/VEGETARIAN directions without the meat products.

Not familiar with a Kosher diet? Learn more using the SooN LIVING Dietary Requirements Decoder.

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SooN COOKING Halal

Make sure to use Halal certified products when serving this dish to someone who follows a Halal diet. Most importantly, this does not include prosciutto which is made from pork. Alcohol is forbidden so you would need to skip that step too. After making note of these important call outs, follow the SooN COOKING ORIGINAL/VEGETARIAN directions and you should be good to go. One other Halal note – this recipe is delicious as a vegetarian dish. However, if you would like to have meat then I would recommend Halal chicken sausage. This is 100% your preference.

Not familiar with a Halal diet? Learn more using the SooN LIVING Dietary Requirements Decoder.

SooN COOKING Celiac

The SooN COOKING Original recipe has no wheat products and would be perfect for someone who has Celiac or is gluten free. You would need to exclude the baguette or be super diligent by washing your hands thoroughly after cutting it.

Not familiar with a Celiac diet? Learn more using the SooN LIVING Dietary Requirements Decoder.

SooN COOKING for One

If you want to make a single portion, here are the steps:

(1) petite round casserole
(1) farm fresh egg
1/4 cup San Marzano Tomatoes
3 frozen artichoke hearts
1/4 tsp capers
2 slices Prosciutto di Parma (exclude for Vegetarian, Kosher, Halal)
1 handful chopped spinach
1 TBS minced shallot
2 TBS white cooking wine
2 oz fresh mozzarella
2 TBS Microplaned Parmigiano Reggiano
2 minced garlic cloves
1/4 tsp Italian Herb Mix (oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary)
1 sprig fresh Italian parsley (for garnish)
1 TBS olive oil
salt & peper to taste

Follow the directions in the SooN COOKING Original recipe and enjoy!

SooN COOKING for Kids

My kids don’t like Sicilian Eggs in it’s completed form. They typically eat all the prosciutto and then complain it is “spicy” (which it most certainly is not). I always dish up a well-rounded portion and encourage them to try everything on their plate. Lately, I’ve been rationing the prosciutto by rewarding them for trying the other items on their plate.

If your kids reject this dish completely, scramble some eggs and pair them with fresh fruit and the baguette.