1 April, 2013
Strata
This dish should be prepared a day in advance.
1 rustic white bread (ciabatta) about 450gr, cut in 1 inch cubes
9 eggs, beaten
650ml whole milk
225gr sharp cheddar, grated (preferably unpasteurized)
200gr ham, cut in cubes (tavern style)
4 strips of thick cut bacon
1 large onion, chopped
1 broccoli head, cut in florets (about 1 cup)
1 large red sweet pepper, chopped
100 gr cremini mushrooms, sliced
6 spring onions, thinly sliced
butter, pepper and salt
In a skillet, fry the bacon with a little bit of butter at medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon strips. In the remaining bacon fat, fry the onion with some salt and pepper for about 2 minutes. Add the sweet pepper and mushrooms and fry for another 2 minutes. Add the broccoli and fry until onions and mushrooms are browning. Set aside to cool. Chop the bacon.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together with ½ tsp of each salt and black pepper. Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish. Layer half of the bread cubes on the bottom with about half of the egg mixture. Layer half of the ham, bacon and vegetable mixture. Top with half of the grated cheese and spring onions. Repeat this step with the remaining ingredients in the same order. Cover with plastic wrap and press everything down. Let it stand overnight in the refrigerator.
Take the strata out of the fridge and let it stand a room temperature and preheat the oven at 175C (350F). Bake the strata for 50 minutes. If the cheese is brown before the 50 minutes, cover it will foil for the remaining time.
Let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.
