Emily’s Recipes: Breakfast Strata

This recipe is from my mom. I am not sure where she picked it up over the years, but it has become a family favorite. I have always been mystified by the name, that is, until today. Thanks to technology and multiple online dictionaries, I now know why this egg dish bears the name “strata”. If you are wondering, The Free Online Dictionary has the answer. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/stratum
For best results, refrigerate this dish overnight so that the bread can absorb as much liquid as possible. Since this dish is refrigerated overnight, it is perfect for Easter morning, just pop it in the oven as soon as you get up. Serve with fresh fruit as a perfect accompaniment.

10 slices bread
6 eggs
3 cups milk
2 Tablespoons parsley
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 cups shredded cheese
¼ cup diced onion
1 pound sausage

• Cut bread into approximately one-inch cubes.
• Place bread into a 9 x 13 pan, sprayed with non-stick spray.
• Layer 1 ½ cups cheese over bread.
• Add meat.
• Combine remaining ingredients and pour over all.
• Cover and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight.
• Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 60 minutes.
• Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup cheese.
• Bake 5 minutes longer.

Variations: I like to fiddle with this recipe a lot, here are some suggestions for spicing it up a little.

Bread: experiment with they type of bread you use: multigrain, sourdough, French, Italian.
Cheese: you can use whatever you have on hand, i.e. Mozzarella if you want an Italian flare, or Monterrey Jack or Queso Fresco for Mexican.
Meat: sausage (any type, chorizo, Italian, Polish, ground or sliced links), ham, bacon, you can even mix and match.
Spices: for a Mexican flare, substitute cilantro for the parsley and cumin and chili powder for the mustard. For an Italian twist, substitute Italian seasonings for the parsley.
Garlic: Add 2-3 cloves of garlic (if you like it for breakfast)
Lighten: To lighten it, use skim milk.
Whites: And, for the those of you who aren’t fond of egg yolks (you know who you are) – make your own version of Egg Beaters: ONE EGG = 2 egg whites, 1 Tablespoon Skim Milk & 1 teaspoon olive oil.
For instance, one container of Egg Beaters costs approx. $3.00 or .38 cents per “egg”You can make your own with a $1.00 carton of eggs for approx. .20 cents per “egg”

Still curious about strata?

n. pl. stra•ta (-t ) or stra•tums
1. A horizontal layer of material, especially one of several parallel layers arranged one on top of another.
2. Geology A bed or layer of sedimentary rock having approximately the same composition throughout.
3. Any of the regions of the atmosphere, such as the troposphere, that occur as layers.
4. Biology A layer of tissue: the epithelial stratum.
5. A level of society composed of people with similar social, cultural, or economic status.
6. One of a number of layers, levels, or divisions in an organized system: a complex poem with many strata of meaning.