Ali Cooks: Extra Cheesy Strata

 Today I seasoned a cast iron skillet.  It was quite eventful.  Because now I own a cast iron skillet!  And I'm learning how to care for it!  (Eventually, I'll even learn how to cook in it!)

However, today's blog post is not about using a cast iron skillet at all.  It's about my adventure making a strata for dinner.  I was going to make this exact recipe for Brian's family on Saturday night...and then on Sunday night, but Saturday I wasn't feeling well, and Sunday was unfortunately too busy, since we were preparing to leave for Kalamazoo after dinner.

But I had strata on my mind!  And goodness--that was a labor of love!  SO MUCH CHEESE TO GRATE!  SO MUCH BREAD TO CHOP!  SO MANY EGGS TO WHISK!  I may have muscles now, thanks to this yummy strata.

And yes, it's yummy.  I pulled it out of the oven at the minimum bake time, since Brian had to leave for a meeting pretty soon after arriving home.  The strata was a little gooey as a result, but I'm actually ok with that!  A cheesy dish needs a little ooey gooey to qualify as cheesy, right?!

 

Anyway, I can't WAIT for leftovers!  Though I must advise:  let your stomach catch up after eating a piece, because this is one filling meal, and I doubt you'll need seconds!

Also:  It's my birthday today!  :)

 

 

Extra Cheesy Strata

*adapted from TheEndlessMeal.com

 

Ingredients:

1 Tbs olive oil
5+ sprigs of green onion

3 cups fresh spinach

1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp chili powder
1 tsp butter
8 cups french bread, cubed
2 cups finely grated gruyere

1 cup finely grated white cheddar

1 cup finely grated Swiss cheese
1 cup finely grated Parmesan
8 large eggs
2 cups milk

3 Tbs Dijon mustard
 

Instructions:

 

Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat.  Add the green onion, followed by the spinach and let it cook until the spinach has wilted.  Add the salt, pepper, and chili powder, stirring to combine.  Then remove the pan from the heat.

Butter the bottom of a baking dish.  Add ⅓ of the bread cubes then top with ⅓ of the spinach and ⅓ of each of the cheeses.  Repeat 3 times, reserving a small handful of cheeses.

Whisk together the eggs, milk and Dijon mustard in a medium sized bowl.  Slowly and carefully pour the mixture over the bread.  The pan will be very full so you will need to go slow enough to give the eggs and milk time to soak into the bread.  Top the strata with the remaining handful of cheeses.  Either bake right away or refrigerate the strata for up to one day.  

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Bake the strata for 45-55 minutes, or until it is puffed, browned and set in the center.

 

Let the strata stand for 10 minutes before serving.

 

There's NO SUCH THING as too much cheese!  ;)