Month: November 2019

Spinach & Cheese Strata

Posted on by Shea

Christmas breakfast is that glorious thing sandwiched between ripping presents open like a crazed banshee and playing with all of your new toys. It’s best enjoyed with coffee and boozy beverages (mimosas and bloody marys, perhaps). And it’s even better when you just have to pop it in the oven as soon as you pad downstairs in your Christmas slipper socks, still bleary eyed with an epic case of bed head. 

Enter the strata. It’s basically savory bread pudding and tastes like a quiche and a frittata made sweet love and popped out a delicious cheesy, crusty, eggy baby. Prep everything the night before and bake it the next morning. Easy as pie. Or strata.

Spinach & Cheese Strata

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Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1 loaf ciabatta, cubed
  • 1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup gruyere, grated
  • 1 cup extra sharp white cheddar, grated
  • 8 large eggs
  • 2 1/2 cups low-fat milk
  • 1 dash ground nutmeg

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
  • Cube ciabatta and spread in one layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly toasted and dried out. Set out until cooled to room temperature.
  • Thaw spinach in microwave and remove all excess liquid. (My handy method is to wrap it in one million paper towels and wring it out.)
  • Melt 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and continue cooking for one minute. Stir in spinach, remove from heat and set aside.
  • Grease baking dish with remaining tablespoon of butter. Spread half of the bread cubes in the dish and top with half of spinach mixture and half of cheese. Repeat layering with remaining bread, spinach and cheese. Whisk eggs, milk, nutmeg, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl and pour evenly over the strata.
  • Cover strata with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
  • The next day, let it stand at room temperature for 30 minutes while preheating the oven to 350°F. Bake uncovered in the middle of the oven until golden brown and cooked through, 50 minutes. To get it extra crispy on top, broil for 1-2 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
  • Eat, sip your mimosa and help yourself to seconds.
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Green Bean Casserole

Posted on by Shea

Green bean casserole is a holiday staple. Savory, creamy and crunchy all at once. And in theory, you’re even consuming a vegetable among all of the carb-y deliciousness of mashed potatoes and stuffing. But if cans of cream of mushroom soup and green beans have been the main ingredients in the casseroles of Thanksgivings past, it’s time to take things up a notch and make the classic Thanksgiving dish from scratch this year.

(Don’t worry – those crispy fried onions on top? They still make the cut.)

Green Bean Casserole

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Servings 8

Ingredients
  

  • 6 tbsp butter
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
  • 1 lb crimini or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 1 lb frozen green beans
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1 pinch grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup gruyere cheese
  • 1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano
  • Crispy fried onions

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 375. Butter a large baking dish and set aside.
  • Next, do yourself a favor and prepare your mise en place. Basically this is a fancy French term for “everything in place.” As in, dice the onion and bell pepper and chop up the mushrooms so everything is ready to go.
  • Next, melt two tablespoons of butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Sautee the onions until they are softened and translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
  • Toss in the bell pepper and mushrooms and stir everything together.Let the veggies cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 8-10 minutes.
  • Next, cook the green beans according to the instructions on the package. (I prefer the stovetop method, but if you want to microwave them, no judgment here).
  • Once they are cooked, add the green beans to a bowl of ice water. This will prevent them from continuing to cook and prevents mushiness.While the green beans are cooling off, grate the cheeses. Sample accordingly. Mmmmm. Gruyere.
  • Drain the green beans and add them to the rest of the veggies, mixing to combine. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
  • Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to a large saucepan over medium heat. Want to save yourself from doing more dishes? Use the same saucepan used to cook the green beans.
  • Once the butter has melted, add ¼ cup flour and whisk constantly until the mixture begins to turn golden brown. Congratulations – you just made a roux. (Hint: a roux is also the key to delicious turkey gravy – it’s essentially a thickening agent).
  • Add the milk in batches and continue to whisk. This part requires a little muscle and a lot of patience, but it will result in a delicious, creamy sauce. Also known as a béchamel. This is the foundation for most creamy sauces (and the basis for the most decadent macaroni and cheese you will ever indulge in… but that’s a recipe for a different day).
  • Add a little salt, pepper, cayenne pepper and nutmeg. Then stir in most of the cheeses, reserving a little for later. Taste. Swoon.
  • Pour the cheese sauce into the veggie mixture and toss to combine thoroughly.
  • Add the veggie mixture to the baking dish. Top with the remaining cheeses.
  • Now it’s time for the finishing touch – the crispy fried onions. I love the Trader Joe’s brand, but you really can’t go wrong here.
  • Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 375. Remove the foil and continue to bake for an additional 10-20 minutes until browned and bubbly.
  • You can also make the green bean casserole up to one day ahead. Just be sure to bring it to room temperature before baking
  • Serve. Enjoy. Fight your loved ones for the last portion. It’s THAT good.

Notes

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living
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