Breakfast Strata

This is quite frankly one of the tastiest and easiest dishes you will ever make. It’s great to eat any time of the day, but the reason why I love it for breakfast is that you can make the whole thing the night before, whack it in the fridge, and the next morning it’s ready to go in the oven.

A strata is a type of layered casserole, made with bread, eggs and cheese. The bread acts as a sponge to soak up all the flavours that cook along with it.

This strata is very hearty, and I love the addition of the Italian pork sausages. These are the fresh variety, not dried, and are readily available from your butcher, supermarket or deli.  Removed from the sausage casings, the meat lends a flavour punch of herbs, garlic and particularly fennel.  The aniseed note marries well with the pork.

There’s a double whammy of pork in this dish, there’s bacon too.  Cooked down with onion, capscium and garlic, there is a sweet, salty, gutsy flavour base  that is reminiscent of a meat lover’s pizza.

The best thing about this recipe, is that it actually tastes better when prepared in advance, so it can be made the night before, letting the overnight rest give time for the flavours to meld together, soak into the bread and infuse maximum flavour.  Then its just a matter of cooking and eating. Job done.  You can, though, cook it on the day you put it together, just give it at least 30 minutes to sit before.

Of course, this would make a great lunch or dinner too.

Breakfast Strata

A layered casserole of Italian sausage, bacon, capsicum, bread, eggs and cheese.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Servings: 6

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

• olive oil
• 4 bacon rashers, rindless, chopped
• 2 fresh Italian-style pork and fennel sausages, casings removed (buy from a butcher or deli)
• 1 red capsicum, seeded and chopped
• 1 brown onion, peeled and diced
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely sliced
• 1 handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves
• 7 eggs
• 500 ml milk
• 250 ml cream
• ½ tsp dry mustard powder
• 10 slices ciabatta, or other thick crusty bread, cut into 2cm cubes
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 ½ cups cheddar cheese, grated

Method

 

1. Heat a large frypan over medium-high heat. Add a splash of olive oil, then the bacon, sausage meat, capsicum and onion and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat as you do, until the vegetables are tender, bacon is crisp and sausage meat is browned.
2. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute. Remove from the heat.
3. Crack the eggs into a large bowl, add the milk, cream and mustard powder and whisk well to combine.
4. Combine the cooked meat/vegetable mixture with the parsley and spinach leaves.
5. Place half the cubed ciabatta into a large casserole dish. Add half the milk mixture, followed by half the vegetable/meat mixture. Sprinkle with half the cheeses. Then repeat layers with more bread, milk mixture, then vegetable/meat mixture. Finish with the remaining cheeses sprinkled on top.
6. The strata can now be refrigerated and cooked the next day, or leave to sit for at least 30 minutes. The longer it sits the better.
7. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
8. Cook the strata for 50 minutes to an hour, or until it looks puffy and golden.
9. Remove and allow to cool a little before serving.

Recipe from my book – Food for Sharing Italian Style, New Holland Publishers Images – Jonathan VDK