On a lighter note, Breakfast or Brunch is another essential part of a well-balanced diet. It can give you that extra push to begin your day on an upbeat note. However, it’s sometimes the meal that many ignore with excuses like, "I’m too busy" or "I value my sleep and want to ‘catch’ a few extra winks". My Mother’s recipe below for Four Cheese Strada just might give you reason enough ‘get up and going’ in the morning.
Q: "Excuse me Chef …just one question…ah…what’s Strada"?
A: Starda begins with a medley of cooked vegetable and/or meat mixture placed or layered atop a bread base. A basic filling of eggs, cream, milk, cheeses and spices (if desired), binds it all together and turns very basic ingredients into a true and creative Breakfast / Brunch original.
Additionally, the greatest advantages of this dish is that it is low cost vs. great value, not labor intensive and a great opportunity to utilize many kinds of leftovers that might otherwise be discarded (come on Chefs….come clean…I know your Cooks sometimes discard the leftover Breakfast Omelet prep (onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, red and green peppers, chopped bacon & sausage)…behind your back…
).
Believe me, you will love it never want to ‘skip’ Breakfast / Brunch again, will hardly want Omelets or fried eggs (decreasing your use of cooking eggs, utilizing leftovers in creative ways, and creating an ‘instant signature dish’ for your home), and most certainly ‘remember and tell a friend’ all about your ‘signature breakfast / brunch dish’.
Lighthouse Four Cheese Strada (Poor Man’s Quiche)
Ingredient Base
7 – 8 slices of day old Bread (whole wheat or white…don’t use rye because the caraway seeds and the rye in the bread will leave your Strada with a slightly ‘sour’ and ‘bitter’ aftertaste…not good…ever eat Bread Pudding made with Rye Bread?) w/o crusts.
Ingredient Basic Filling
6 whole eggs
2 ½ cups of milk
½ cup ½ & ½ or light cream
2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 cup shredded Swiss Cheese
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp each of Sea Salt and freshly ground Pepper Corn Medley (a blend of white, black and green peppercorns – use a grinder mill for the salt and pepper).
Fresh dill (optional for garnish)
NOTE: A ‘dash’ of ground nutmeg and/or other spices can be added to take your signature dish ‘to the next Culinary level’.
Remember…experimentation and development is the key here.
NOTE: You will need at least 2 cups of vegetable / meat mixture for this recipe. Cooked / Sautéed vegetables such as leeks, garlic, green onions (scallions), artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, peppers, potatoes, spinach, zucchini ect…and/or meats such as chopped ham, sausage, bacon, cooked chicken, turkey, shrimp, salmon and/or crab meat can be added….instead of cooked / sautéed raw ingredients if desired…the possibilities are endless.
Method:
1. Arrange the bread slices in the bottom of a lightly greased 9 x 13 bake pan or similar dish.
2. Place your cooked vegetable and/or meat mixture evenly on the bread (in layers if you so desire…this works good too).
3. In a medium mixing bowl stir together the eggs, cream, milk, salt, and pepper. Toss together the shredded cheeses, parmesan and flour. Add to the egg mixture and mix well.
4. Slowly pour the Basic Filling over the vegetable and/or meat mixture.
5. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F. oven approximately about 40 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted near center comes out clean and top is ‘puffed’ and golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes to rest (very important). Cut into equal squares 5 x 5, garnish each square with fresh dill if desired and serve with a simple fruit salad such as fresh Mango (when in season and must be very ripe to be palatable. This fruit has a very large pit and it takes very little effort to peel the fruit and slice off the yellow flesh into slivers), mixed with fresh Raspberries is one of the nicest, low-cal and elegant fruit dessert there is.
Yield: 12 Servings
Christopher
"[It is the] innovator, experimenter, [and] missionary in bringing the gospel of good cooking to the home table." Craig Claiborne
Q: "Excuse me Chef …just one question…ah…what’s Strada"?
A: Starda begins with a medley of cooked vegetable and/or meat mixture placed or layered atop a bread base. A basic filling of eggs, cream, milk, cheeses and spices (if desired), binds it all together and turns very basic ingredients into a true and creative Breakfast / Brunch original.
Additionally, the greatest advantages of this dish is that it is low cost vs. great value, not labor intensive and a great opportunity to utilize many kinds of leftovers that might otherwise be discarded (come on Chefs….come clean…I know your Cooks sometimes discard the leftover Breakfast Omelet prep (onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, red and green peppers, chopped bacon & sausage)…behind your back…
).Believe me, you will love it never want to ‘skip’ Breakfast / Brunch again, will hardly want Omelets or fried eggs (decreasing your use of cooking eggs, utilizing leftovers in creative ways, and creating an ‘instant signature dish’ for your home), and most certainly ‘remember and tell a friend’ all about your ‘signature breakfast / brunch dish’.
Ingredient Base
7 – 8 slices of day old Bread (whole wheat or white…don’t use rye because the caraway seeds and the rye in the bread will leave your Strada with a slightly ‘sour’ and ‘bitter’ aftertaste…not good…ever eat Bread Pudding made with Rye Bread?) w/o crusts.
Ingredient Basic Filling
6 whole eggs
2 ½ cups of milk
½ cup ½ & ½ or light cream
2 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 cup shredded Swiss Cheese
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp flour
1 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp each of Sea Salt and freshly ground Pepper Corn Medley (a blend of white, black and green peppercorns – use a grinder mill for the salt and pepper).
Fresh dill (optional for garnish)
NOTE: A ‘dash’ of ground nutmeg and/or other spices can be added to take your signature dish ‘to the next Culinary level’.
Remember…experimentation and development is the key here.
NOTE: You will need at least 2 cups of vegetable / meat mixture for this recipe. Cooked / Sautéed vegetables such as leeks, garlic, green onions (scallions), artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, peppers, potatoes, spinach, zucchini ect…and/or meats such as chopped ham, sausage, bacon, cooked chicken, turkey, shrimp, salmon and/or crab meat can be added….instead of cooked / sautéed raw ingredients if desired…the possibilities are endless.
Method:
1. Arrange the bread slices in the bottom of a lightly greased 9 x 13 bake pan or similar dish.
2. Place your cooked vegetable and/or meat mixture evenly on the bread (in layers if you so desire…this works good too).
3. In a medium mixing bowl stir together the eggs, cream, milk, salt, and pepper. Toss together the shredded cheeses, parmesan and flour. Add to the egg mixture and mix well.
4. Slowly pour the Basic Filling over the vegetable and/or meat mixture.
5. Bake, uncovered, in a 350 degree F. oven approximately about 40 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted near center comes out clean and top is ‘puffed’ and golden brown. Let stand 10 minutes to rest (very important). Cut into equal squares 5 x 5, garnish each square with fresh dill if desired and serve with a simple fruit salad such as fresh Mango (when in season and must be very ripe to be palatable. This fruit has a very large pit and it takes very little effort to peel the fruit and slice off the yellow flesh into slivers), mixed with fresh Raspberries is one of the nicest, low-cal and elegant fruit dessert there is.
Yield: 12 Servings
Christopher
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