Leave it vegetarian, or add in some browned sausage or crispy bacon. The strata can be assembled the night before and left covered in the fridge, to then pop in the oven the next morning. From Sara Forte at www.sproutedkitchen.com
1heaping cupgrated Gruyère cheeseor sub with Emmental, Jarlsberg, Beaufort, Comté
fresh parsleyfor garnish
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375F. Spread the cubed bread on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 10 minutes until slightly golden.
Heat the oil and butter (if using) in a large, oven-proof skillet or cast iron pan. Add the mushrooms, leeks and a big pinch of sea salt + pepper and sauté about 8 minutes, until veggies are softened. Stir in the spinach and then turn off the heat. Once the spinach has wilted a bit, stir in the toasted cubed bread.
In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, milk, cream, sea salt, pepper, dried oregano and hot sauce and whisk well to combine, until the eggs are a uniform colour and there are some air bubbles in the mixture. Stir in the cheese.
Pour the egg mixture into the skillet, over the veggies and bread. Press the bread pieces down a bit so they get as much egg as possible on them. Leave to soak at room temperature for an hour, or covered, overnight in the refrigerator.
Adjust the oven temperature to 350F. Place the skillet on the middle rack and bake for 30 minutes, or until you can shake the pan and the center is no longer liquid. Keep in mind that the eggs will continue to set as they cool down.
Garnish the top with fresh parsley and serve warm.