Dish of the Day: Italian Strata

Those of us living in large cities will hear the word "strata" and most likely think of condominium associations. However, a strata is a wonderful Italian dish that is a lot like a lasagne-quiche. Or, an omelet-bread pudding. Or an omelet-pizza. Well, it must be tasted before you can truly understand but it's a delicious egg-based dish that's perfect to serve at a party. Which is what I did today, New Year's Day.

I was trying to come up with a dish that could be prepared in advance and then popped into the oven the morning of the party and I recalled that 2 friends I knew from years ago used to make oven baked egg-based dishes over the holidays. Both were rich, savoury delights that tasted as if they'd been slaved over, but didn't take much of the cook's time the day of a party. I did some research online and came across this recipe at a fellow blogger's site that reminded me of the strata an Italian friend's aunt used to make. This version, however, was a healthier version I could feel comfortable serving, due to the addition of yogurt in place of the traditional whipping cream. Do check out Choosy Beggar's recipe above, but the variation I made was slightly different.

I took 8 large slices of stale peasant's bread from the Portuguese bakery next door and buttered one side and placed it BUTTER -SIDE DOWN in my large casserole dish. NOTE: if you decide not to butter the bread, make sure you butter the entire bottom of the casserole dish so the bread doesn't get baked on. I then took 400 gms of thickly sliced prosciutto and diced it and 1 cup of chopped zucchini and added this to the dish. I did go with Havarti but added in a handful of freshly chopped basil and poured the egg mixture over it all. I used 10 eggs, 3/4 cup yogurt, 2 Tbsp dijon mustard and 2 1/2 cups milk. Into the fridge it went overnight and by morning this was a sight to behold! The combination of egg, garlic, basil, cheese and prosciutto smelled amazing he second it went into the hot oven and everyone in the house got very excited!

Omega eggs are very healthy and we try to eat them at least once a week, and apart from this dish having quite a lot of cheese and salty ham, I would not consider it at all sinful.

The strata looked, smelled and tasted gorgeous, yet defied an accurate description. The picture above does not nearly do it justice. I encourage you to make this for your family and see for yourselves.