Ohhh, August tomato sickness strikes again. We’ve gone through pounds upon pounds of tomatoes in the last few weeks, and I’m still not over it. Roasted tomatoes in everything, including this delicious strata. We’ve made this a million times – … Read More
We made these popsicles last summer and loved them. But popsicles are often messier than I’d prefer at the dinner table (especially with a few snail-pace eaters over here, AHEM, N), so I thought I’d whirl it into a frozen … Read More
[Whoo boy, first toddler eating and now toddler screen time? Since when did I become such a not-afraid-of-controversy blogger? (I didn’t; I’m still deathly afraid. This just happens to be important to me.)]A couple of months ago, Janssen posted about … Read More
Blouse/Necklace: Forever 21 (here and here); Skirt: Banana Republic (old); Shoes: Steve Madden (old); Belt: Target (came with another skirt) I’ve been a total bookworm for as long as I remember. My mom has vivid memories of spending … Read More
I’m generally a strictly hot-soup-belongs-in-the-wintertime sort of person (although chilled soups, such as peach and strawberry and cucumber are planted firmly in my mind’s summer, but one could say that’s more dessert than meal) (will I ever create parentheticals shorter … Read More
Tuesday was National Cheesecake Day! And I’m not one to let a holiday go un-celebrated, that’s just not right. So I took one for the team and made a dessert. And it was good. Very good.  Blueberry Cheesecake … Read More
Growing up, any extended family gathering revolved around food. A long and late breakfast was followed by a multi-coursed lunch, and shortly after was a big dinner, either cooked at home or eaten out. Indians take food seriously, and I … Read More
I kind of have a thing for perfectly ripe tomatoes. As we’ve tried to eat more seasonally the last few years, I generally try to refrain from purchasing them during off months. This also means that I purchased no fewer … Read More
My family is from South India, and North and South Indian foods are surprisingly different. So much so that those from different sides of the country have a bit of a chip on their respective shoulders about which cuisine is … Read More
I often commented while I was nursing Nat that I felt it was easier dressing a pregnant belly than it was to dress while breastfeeding. You need easy access but still good coverage, some layers but not too many, nothing … Read More
I think people sometimes think I’m kidding when I tell them it’s one of Dan’s life goals to have a deep freezer, mostly for the purpose of ice cream storage. They would be wrong.Somehow, it just seems right and good … Read More
Today’s thoughts are c/o the originality gallery and mostly are that summer weekends are the best. Blueberry picking, a little friend’s baptism, practicing a violin duet for church, going to church, watching Sister Act, grilled pizza, finishing a fantastic book, … Read More
Ohhh, August tomato sickness strikes again. We’ve gone through pounds upon pounds of tomatoes in the last few weeks, and I’m still not over it. Roasted tomatoes in everything, including this delicious strata. We’ve made this a million times – for breakfast, for brinner, for Christmas brunch, and it’s been delicious every time. It’s wholesome and comforting, but not heavy. It’s easy to throw together and will keep overnight to be baked in the morning, but is also perfect when baked right after making it (how I usually do it because I can’t seem to plan ahead enough to do it any other way). Since it has bread cubes, it’s heartier than a quiche, and also doesn’t have the annoyance of making a crust.
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| Some of our pickings last weekend. This photo just brings joy to my soul. |
It’s also infinitely adaptable – I’ve added mushrooms and kale or spinach and caramelized onions and I’m dying to do a version with goat cheese. But for now, some roasted tomatoes, hearty greens (collard, in this case) and some good cheddar were perfect.
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| Our favorite way to serve it, alongside our beloved raised waffles for brinner |
NOTE: This recipe seems like it has a lot of steps, but they’re all really simple and quick. It usually takes me 30 minutes TOPS to put the whole thing together.
3 medium tomatoes, chopped (or equivalent cherry tomatoes, halved)
4 T olive oil, divided
1 t brown sugar
1 large onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups greens, chopped (I used collards here, but have also used kale and spinach)
6 cups bread in 1″ cubes (1/2 lb)
2 cups grated cheddar cheese (use the good kind, because the flavor of the cheese makes a difference here)
2 3/4 cups milk
9 large eggs
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1. Preheat oven to 425F. Spread tomatoes in a roasting pan and drizzle with 2 T of olive oil and 1 t brown sugar. Stir to combine. Roast in preheated oven until tomatoes have released most of their juices and are wrinkled and slightly blistered, about 20-30 minutes.
2. Sauté onion in remaining 2 T olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat
until soft, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper
and nutmeg and continue cooking for one minute. Stir in greens and cook until they have softened slightly and turn bright green. Remove
from heat and set aside.
3. (OPTIONAL) Spread bread cubes on tray and lightly toast in toaster oven or full-sized oven. (This step isn’t necessary, but I like when the bread cubes are a little crispier since I have issues with sogginess.)
4. Preheat oven to 350F. Spread half the bread cubes in a buttered (or just spray with cooking spray) 9×13″ ceramic baking dish. Top with half of the greens/onion mixture, half of the tomatoes, and half of the cheese. Repeat
layering with remaining bread, greens/onions, tomatoes and cheese.
5. Whisk eggs, milk, mustard and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4
teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl and pour evenly over strata.
6. (OPTIONAL) Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight. (I only do this if I’m making this for an early breakfast.) If you do chill it, the next morning, let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes while preheating the oven.
7. Bake strata, uncovered, in preheated oven
until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, 40-45 minutes. Let
stand 5 minutes before serving.
