- 1 lb. ham OR cooked sausages (such as Polish or smoked sausage) OR fresh sausage (such as breakfast sausage, bratwurst, Italian, or chorizo)
- For a vegetarian version, substitute 1 lbs. cremini or button mushrooms, halved or quartered if large
- 2T. unsalted butter
- 3 c. chopped onions, not supersweet
- 1 large or 2 small sweet red peppers, cut into 1/2-inch dice
- 1 tsp. minced garlic, or more or less to taste
- 6 large eggs
- 2 c. half-and-half
- 1 T. Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, or more or less to taste
- 1 1/2 tsp. kosher or sea salt (more or less to taste)
- 1 c. chopped parsley, preferably flat-leaf, divided
- 1-2 T. chopped fresh herbs such as rosemary, thyme or marjoram, either singly or in combination, optional
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne OR 1/2 tsp. hot-pepper flakes OR 1T. hot sauce, or more or less to taste, optional
- 4 c. slightly stale, good-quality French or sourdough bread, cut into small cubes
- 1 c. coarsely grated Swiss (preferably Gruyre), Cheddar, Pepper Jack, or Monterey
- Jack cheese
Butter a 9-by-13-inch or similarly sized baking dish. Heat a large
skillet over medium-high heat. If using the diced ham or sausage, sauté
just until lightly browned. If using fresh sausage, sauté until it’s
completely cooked through, chopping it into small pieces. If using
mushrooms, stir-fry in a little oil over high heat, seasoning them with a
little salt until they are browned and cooked through.
Remove
from the pan and set aside. Leave any fat in the pan. Add the butter
and, once it’s melted, add the onion and peppers. Cook over medium-high
heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are translucent and
softened, about five minutes. Add the garlic and cook a few minutes more
until it, too, is softened.
Remove the pan from the heat, return the meat or mushrooms to the skillet, and cool to room temperature.
In
a large bowl, beat the eggs until they are completely combined, then
stir in the half-and-half. Add the pepper, salt, Parmesan cheese, half
the parsley, and the other fresh herbs and hot pepper or sauce if using.
Stir in the bread cubes. Add the cooled meat/vegetable mixture
and combine everything thoroughly. Pour the mixture into the prepared
baking dish, cover it with plastic wrap or foil, and refrigerate the
dish ove rnight.
Preheat the oven to 350. Remove the baking
dish from the refrigerator and let it stand for about an hour to come to
room temperature. Remove the foil or plastic wrap and sprinkle the
cheese evenly over the top.
Bake for one hour, or until the top
is golden brown, and a knife inserted into the strata comes out clean.
If the top begins to get too brown, cover the dish with foil until
baking is done. Just before serving, sprinkle the reserved peppers and
parsley evenly over the top. Serves six to eight.
This article appears in Dec 16-22, 2010.
