Strata
|
Strata
|
|
|
A great way to use up lots of stuff from the refrigerator as well as leftover bread! Ingredients: Leftover bread 1 - 2 lbs. cut into small cubes. French or Italian bread is best but any will do. Cut off crusts. 1 large onion sliced thinly Any leftover meats and veggies cut into bite sized pieces fresh herbs if available, chopped (I prefer sage with eggs) Small cubes or slices of cheese (mozzarella, swiss, cheddar, etc) About 1 dozen eggs About 1/4 cup cream or milk 2 oz. olive oil salt and pepper to taste Method: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter (or use Pam) a pretty glass or other ovensafe dish large enough to hold your ingredients. Place bread cubes in the dish. In a saute pan, fry the onion olive oil on medium heat stirring often, until very well caramelized. If onion begins to stick or pan burns, add a bit more oil or a touch of water to keep onion moving in pan. Caramelization will take about 15 minutes. Scatter onions over bread cubes. Take dices of meat (ham, bacon, leftover roasts etc) and saute in onion pan until crisped or cooked a little. Place over onions. Do the same for the veggies. Scatter herbs and salt and pepper. Scatter cheese on top. Now, take the eggs and beat them WELL. We want as much air as possible in them. Add cream or mild and beat again. Completely cover the bread cube and leftover mixture with the eggs - amount of eggs needed will depend on the amount of other ingredients. Allow to sit about a half hour to let egg mixture soak into bread fully. This will help it puff in the oven. Place dish on cookie sheet or baking pan and place in middle of oven with no rack above it. Allow to cook until egg is fully set and top is golden brown (check in 30 to 40 minutes - if egg mix is jiggling keep it in longer. If top is getting too brown and egg mix is not yet firm, loosely tent dish with foil and continue to cook until egg is set.) The result should be a puffy, souffle - like, delicious dinner. Another way to do this is to make individual strata in tall soup bowls or ramekins that are well sprayed or buttered. The taller the bowl, the puffier the strata will be. That is because when steam forms, it cannot disperse anyway but up. As it rises, it takes the strata with it! The result is a delicious souffle! Must be eaten right away!!!!
|
