Seafood And Artichoke Strata

SHRIMP ARTICHOKE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 deg. In bottom of a well-greased 1 1/2 quart casserole, place artichoke hearts and cover with shrimp.
• Melt half the butter in pan and saute mushrooms 6 to 8 minutes. Pour over shrimp.
• Melt remaining butter; add flour and cook over low heat 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually add the cream and milk, cooking until thick.
• Add salt, pepper, sherry and Worcestershire. Stir until smooth.
• Pour over casserole and top with cheese and paprika.
• Bake 25 minutes, until lightly browned and bubbly.
• Serve by itself, or stretch by serving over rice or noodles.

CREST CAFE GORGONZOLA, ARTICHOKE AND HAM STRATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan.
• In a large bowl, whisk together milk and oil.
• Add bread cubes and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes, until bread has absorbed most or all of the liquid.
• In another bowl, whisk together heavy cream, eggs, salt and pepper.
• Add the gorgonzola.
• In a single layer, place half of the soaked bred cubes into baking pan.
• Top with half of the ham, half of the artichoke hearts and half of the Jack and parmesan cheeses.
• Repeat the layering.
• Pour the cream and egg mixture over the layers.
• Lightly sprinkle the top of the casserole with grated parmesan cheese.
• Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour or until set.

ARTICHOKE-SPINACH STRATA

Steps:

• In 10-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add bell pepper, onion and garlic; cook about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Remove from heat. Stir in artichokes and spinach; set aside.
• Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange bread cubes in dish. Spoon vegetable mixture evenly over bread cubes; sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese.
• In medium bowl, beat eggs, milk, mustard, salt and pepper with wire whisk until blended; pour evenly over bread, vegetables and cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover tightly with foil; refrigerate at least 4 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Bake covered 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 20 to 30 minutes longer or until top is golden brown and knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

ARTICHOKE SPINACH STRATA

Steps:

• Start preparation either the night or morning before (depending upon when you are serving, see note above in description).
• Spray a 9 x 13 rectangular glass baking pan with cooking spray.
• Place 7 ounces of freshly washed baby spinach in a microwave safe bowl, cover and cook for 5 minutes on high until wilted. Drain in colander in your sink and let cool. Then coarsely chop.
• Drain jar of artichoke hearts but do not rinse. Chop into small pieces.
• Mix the milk and wine in a shallow bowl. Tear the bread into medium pieces (a bit bigger than bite sized) and dip a few pieces at a time into the milk mixture. Gently squeeze as much liquid as possible from the bread without tearing it. Do not let the bread soak; dip and squeeze as quickly as possible or the bread will disintegrate! Spread the prepared bread in the 9 x 13 pan. Continue dip, squeeze and spread until all the bread is distributed nicely around the pan. Reserve any leftover milk mixture.
• Sprinkle the prepared spinach and artichokes on the bread - distributing evenly. Push the vegetables into the bread mixture.
• Beat 6 large eggs and mix with remaining milk & wine mixture. Add oregano and beat well. Pour over the bread & vegetable mixture in the pan.
• Sprinkle the Asiago cheese on top of the strata.
• Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate (overnight or until evening, depending upon when you are serving).
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Remove plastic wrap and bake uncovered until puffy and browned, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Serve immediately.

ARTICHOKE AND GOAT CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add shallots, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in artichoke hearts and garlic; cook for 8 minutes or until artichoke hearts begin to brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and stir in herbes de Provence. Cool 10 minutes.
• Combine milk, black pepper, salt, and eggs in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and bread; toss gently to combine. Stir in artichoke mixture, and let stand for 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°.
• Spoon half of bread mixture into an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with half of goat cheese, and top with remaining bread mixture. Sprinkle remaining half of goat cheese over top. Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until browned and bubbly.