Sweet Pepper And Feta Strata Food

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PEPPER STRATA

Steps:

• Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon, until brown, about 5 minutes; transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Add the bell peppers to the skillet with 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes. Set aside.
• Whisk together the half-and-half, Parmesan, parsley, eggs, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of pepper in a medium bowl.
• Layer half of the bread cubes in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of the mozzarella, followed by the sausage and peppers. Cover with the remaining bread cubes and pour the custard evenly over the top. Cover with plastic wrap and let soak at room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hour. (To make ahead, after adding the custard, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight and then let the strata sit at room temperature while the oven preheats.)
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Remove the plastic and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella. Bake until slightly puffed and no longer jiggly in the center, 40 to 50 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

SPINACH FETA STRATA

Steps:

• In a greased 3-qt. or 13x9-in. baking dish, arrange French bread or croissant halves with sides overlapping. , In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, spinach, salt, nutmeg and pepper; pour over bread. Sprinkle with cheeses. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. , Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350° until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 40-45 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Serve warm.

VEGGIE-PACKED STRATA

Steps:

• In a large skillet, saute peppers and onion in 1 Tbsp. oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain; pat dry and set aside. In the same skillet, saute the yellow squash, zucchini and mushrooms in remaining 2 Tbsp. oil until tender. Drain; pat dry and set aside., Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, cream, salt and pepper until smooth. Beat in eggs. Stir in vegetables, half of the bread cubes and Swiss cheese. Arrange the remaining bread cubes in a greased 10-in. springform pan. Place on a baking sheet. Pour egg mixture into pan. , Bake, uncovered, until set and a thermometer reads 160°, 80-95 minutes. Let stand for 10-15 minutes before serving. Run a knife around sides of pan to loosen; remove sides. Cut into wedges.

SAUSAGE, FONTINA, AND BELL PEPPER STRATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13x9x2- inch ceramic or glass baking dish. Whisk first 7 ingredients in large bowl; sprinkle generously with pepper. Set aside.
• Place sausage in large nonstick skillet; push to 1 side. Add bell pepper to other side of skillet. Sauteacute; over high heat, breaking up sausage with fork, until sausage is cooked through and bell peppers are brown in spots, about 7 minutes.
• Arrange half of bread slices in prepared dish. Pour half of egg mixture over. Sprinkle with half of cheese, then half of sausagepepper mixture. Repeat layering. Let stand 20 minutes, occasionally pressing on bread to submerge. Bake strata until puffed and brown, about 1 hour. Cool slightly.

CHEDDAR CHEESE AND RED BELL PEPPER STRATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper to skillet and sauté until just tender, about 4 minutes. Mix in green onions; sauté 1 minute longer. Remove from heat.
• Spread 1 1/2 tablespoons butter thinly on bread. Cut bread into 1/2-inch pieces. Layer half of bread in 8 x 8 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Cover with half of cheese, then half of bell pepper mixture. Repeat layering with bread, cheese and bell pepper mixture. Beat milk, eggs, Dijon mustard, dry mustard, salt and pepper in medium bowl to blend. Pour over strata.
• Bake strata until lightly browned on top and set in center, about 45 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes; cut into squares.

SPINACH, ROASTED PEPPER AND CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Heat butter and olive oil in a small saute pan. Add sweet onion, a generous dash of salt, and several grinds of fresh black pepper. Cook slowly over low heat until onions are nicely caramelized.
• Meanwhile, quarter, stem and seed the bell pepper, being sure to cut away any white pith. Place the pepper quarters skin side up under the broiler for about 5 minutes, or until the skin is beginning to char. Remove peppers to a closed container or a bowl with a plate across it. Once cool enough to handle, slough off the skin and dice the pepper.
• Squeeze as much moisture out of the thawed spinach as possible. In a wide bowl, combine spinach, cilantro, caramelized onion, diced roasted pepper and any collected pepper juices until evenly mixed. Gently stir in feta.
• In a separate bowl or small pitcher, whisk together eggs and milk. If desired, add a tablespoon of grainy mustard or a teaspoon of prepared horseradish, along with additional ground black pepper, into the custard.
• Spray a large deep lidded casserole with cooking spray. Spray the edges of the lid as well. Spread half of the bread cubes across the bottom. Arrange spinach mixture over bread to cover, all the way out to the edges. Top spinach with shredded cheese and then remaining bread cubes.
• Slowly pour the custard mixture evenly over the strata, moving in concentric circles. Cover strata and refrigerate at least one hour and up to one day.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake strata, covered, 30 minutes. Remove lid and continue to bake 20-25 minutes, or until golden. Remove from oven and allow to stand 5 - 10 minutes.

SWEET PEPPER AND FETA STRATA

Steps:

• In a large skillet cook onions and garlic in hot oil over medium heat for 10 minutes or until onions are golden, stirring frequently.
• Remove from heat.
• Stir in roasted red peppers and olives.
• Coat a 10-inch quiche dish with nonstick cooking spray.
• Place bread cubes in dish.
• Top with onion mixture and crumbled feta cheese.
• In a large bowl beat together eggs, chicken broth, wine, and pepper.
• Pour egg mixture over bread mixture in dish.
• Bake in a 350º oven for 35-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near center comes out clean.
• Remove from oven.
• Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.