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
- Saute onions and garlic on low heat, stirring often, until golden — about 20 minutes.
- 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.
- Slice the loaf.
- Add spinach to onions and heat until thawed (if frozen) or wilted (if fresh). Cook off of drain excess liquid.
- In the slow cooker, mix the bread, onions, spinach, olives, thyme, white pepper, and cheese.
- In a small bowl, beat eggs and salt. Stir in milk. Pour mixture over slow cooker contents.
- Cook on low for about 3 hours, until eggs are set and the internal temperature is at least 160°F.
- 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.
- Serve.
This looks like my kind of comfort food – lovely recipe!
Thanks! Let me know if you make it.