From the ArcaMax Publishing, Recipes by Zola Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/zola/s-185294-288047
Who Wants Brunch?
Editor's Note: Zola is currently floating around the Mediterranean
on an Italian cruise ship. We are sure she is going to return with
lots of fun stories, but in the meantime we are running this oldie but
goodie from the archives. Also, before she left, Zola’s computer
crashed and the email wizards have not yet been able to restore her
Zola Mail, so she sends her regrets. She has not been able to answer
Zola mail for over two weeks now and will not be able to get it until
she returns but she promises to answer all of it in early May.
Spring always makes me think about brunch. I think of brunch when I
think of families or friends gathering on Sunday afternoons. Mother's
Day is a perfect example. Keep the moms out of the kitchen and
everyone else can cook. This dish is easy enough even the most novice
cook can pull it off. So think about it. Treat your mom this Mother's
Day.
Sunday afternoons this time of year see a lot of bridal and baby
showers. A strata is perfect for those times. You basically make it
ahead (even the day before), let it soak and then just pop it in the
oven before you want to serve it. This strata even tastes good room
temperature. Confirmations, baptisms, graduations...you get the idea.
Serve this dish with a side salad and some fruit and you have a
winner. I'm serving it tonight when my girlfriend Rachel comes over.
It makes a great "girly dinner." My dessert is going to be fresh
blackberries with creme fraiche as a dipping sauce and a small brownie
on the side. Lots of people think blackberries and brownie make an odd
combination; that is until they eat both together. Then the skepticism
goes right out the window.
My husband and I recently became big brunch fans. We used to eat
breakfast and lunch on Sundays. Now we just have a smoothie or power
bar for breakfast and read the paper while we wait for the brunch
hours to start. When you live in a neighborhood like ours most of the
folks have been out late (very late) so they don't even get up until
around noon. Brunch is a good option for them.
There are few things I've found I like about brunch in the
neighborhoods in Chicago. First of all, there's lots of variety. It's
not all French toast and scrambled eggs. You can find brunch places
that specialize in everything from Italian to Southwestern. French to
Asian. One of our big favorites is Flo. Flo does Mexican/Southwestern
brunch. I never thought about eating chilies at breakfast/brunch until
I went to Flo. It's amazing what you can do with eggs, chorizo and
roasted poblano sauce.
Then there's the $3 Bloody Mary and the $3 Mimosa. Now, I'm not a huge
proponent of drinking during the day, but on Sunday at brunch a little
bit seems to make the afternoon mellow out and makes it feel like it
lasts longer. It just feels a little fancier; like a celebration.
In order to get to brunch, and to wear off the extra calories, we walk
to brunch. Sometimes it's a mile or more one way. We walk for about an
hour, if weather permits, and then we make our way in for brunch. If
weather is bad, one fabulous brunch place is just 4 doors from the
front of our building. 100 steps, max.
Any way you slice it, brunch is a winner. You'll be a winner too when
you serve this dish.
Enjoy Spring!
Zola
Italian Strata - Brunch Casserole
Serves 6 - 8
One loaf of focaccia bread cut into one inch chunks (8 cups of cubes)
If no focaccia is available you can use any hearty bread; even rye
if you're adventuresome
4 cups of cubed, cooked ham. What I
do is buy one slice of smoked ham and cut that up.
You can also
use cubed pepperoni if you want a little more "bite" in your strata
4 cups of lightly cooked broccoli. I just spray a sauté
pan and cook the broccoli until its just warmed through and still
crispy. I don't want it soggy in the strata.
4 cups of shredded
provolone cheese
one half of a red bell pepper diced
1
tsp of Italian spice mix
one half cup of diced onion
one
half cup of creme fraiche
8 eggs
2 cups of milk
grated pepper
2-3 cups of spaghetti sauce from a jar
Take out your 9 X 13" oven-proof pan. Spread half of the bread cubes
in the bottom. Toss in the ham, broccoli, provolone, pepper, onion and
spice mix.
Top with the rest of the bread cubes.
In a bowl, use your whisk to beat up the eggs and mix in the creme
fraiche. The creme fraiche will stay a bit lumpy. That's fine. Just
mix the eggs like you would for scrambling. Add the milk and stir it
around with your whisk until that's mixed in too. Grate pepper to your
taste into the mixture. Now pour it over the strata.
You need to cover this and leave it in the refrigerator for at least 2
hours. The mixture has to soak into the bread. You can leave it as
long as 24 hours before you bake it.
Bake it at 325 degrees, uncovered, for 60 minutes. Stick an
instant-read thermometer in to make sure it's at least 170 degrees. If
in doubt at all, do check the temperature. You do not want to mess
with eggs and risk food poisoning.
Let stand on the counter for 10 minutes. During this time heat your
spaghetti sauce. You'll serve each piece of strata on top of a bed
(half cup) of warmed spaghetti sauce. If you are serving this on a
buffet you can put the sauce in a gravy boat and guests can serve
themselves.
Serve a salad on the side and you have a meal. Some fruit would be
nice too.
Enjoy! Cheers, Zola