ANY-SEASON STRATA
INGREDIENTS Serves 4-6
Butter for greasing the baking dish, plus more (optional) for sautéing the filling 6 large eggs 10floz milk (for an eggier strata, up the amount of eggs; for a mushier strata, add more milk) Fine-grain sea salt and pepper, to taste Up to 24oz uncooked or 12oz cooked vegetables and meat for the filling (see step 3) Olive oil, for sautéing the filling (unless using butter) Around 12 slices (¾ to 1 inch thick) stale bread Up to 6ozs grated or crumbled cheese, depending on how many cheese nubs you’re trying to clear out (and how cheesy you want it to be)
METHOD
1. Grease an oven dish with butter. Whisk the eggs and milk along with a healthy pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper, and set aside.
2. Vegetables and meat need to be cooked before baking, so chop any uncooked items and sauté them with a little butter or olive oil. The amounts you choose can vary widely and most will shrink after cooking, so it’s hard to overdo it.
A small or medium onion and a garlic clove or two are always a good start, and then think about what you have left in your fridge that might work well together. Half a pound of sausage and a bunch of spinach (cook the sausage first, and then add the greens to wilt them), or a package of mushrooms with bacon and Swiss cheese, or leftover squash with a small bunch of Swiss chard, or cherry tomatoes with corn cut from a couple of cobs and some blobs of ricotta. (Note that leftover cooked meats and vegetables don’t need to be cooked again.)
3. Spread about half the bread cubes in the bottom of the buttered dish, then layer on half of the cheese and half of the vegetables and meat. Then repeat: Layer on the rest of the bread and remaining ingredients.
4. Pour the egg and milk mixture over everything. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to one day.
5. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Remove the dish from the refrigerator and bake, covered with foil, for 30 to 40 minutes. Uncover at the end for some browning action if desired.