Recipe: Slow cooker Mediterranean strata

My friend who lives near the bakery brought me more day-old loaves this week. I’d also used up a jar of marinated red peppers. Only the marinating oil was left in the bottom.

So I decided to use these two ingredients as the basis of another strata (savory bread pudding), this time with a stronger Mediterranean theme.

Ingredients

• butter or cooking spray
• 1 pound loaf crusty bread
• the oil from a jar of marinated red peppers
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 medium onions, chopped into small pieces
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 8 grinds of the pepper mill (about 1/4 tsp ground white pepper)
• 20 ounces spinach (frozen of fresh)
• ½ cup chopped green pimento olives (or other olive of your choice)
• 1 cup crumbled feta (about 5 ounces)
• 7 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Saute onions and garlic on low heat, stirring often, until golden — about 20 minutes.
   
2. Meanwhile
   • Slice the loaf.
     
   • Spread the red pepper oil on each slice and let soak in. (Spread on both sides if you have a lot of oil.)
     
   • Reassemble the loaf and crosscut it lengthwise, resulting in rectangular pieces. Coat a 3- to 4-quart slow cooker with butter or cooking spray.
     
3. Add spinach to onions and heat until thawed (if frozen) or wilted (if fresh). Cook off of drain excess liquid.
4. In  the slow cooker, mix the bread, onions, spinach, olives, thyme, white pepper, and cheese.
   
5. In a small bowl, beat eggs and salt. Stir in milk. Pour mixture over slow cooker contents.
6. Cook on low for about 3 hours, until eggs are set and the internal temperature is at least 160°F.
7. If liquid from the vegetables has risen to the top of the strata, lower the temperature to warm, remove the lid, and let cook for an additional 15 minutes.
8. Serve.