Grand Central Strata

Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 6 -7 slices italian bread, leftover (you can use 6-7 slices sourdough bread instead)
• 2 cups broccoli or 2 cups spinach or 2 cups zucchini, prepared
• 4 -5 sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped (1 tsp dried)
• 5 eggs
• 1 quart half-and-half cream (substitute part or all milk if preferred)
• 6 tablespoons butter

Recipe

• 1 to prepare vegetables: broccoli: cut into thin slices.
• 2 peel woody stems.
• 3 blanche in boiling water for 2- 3 minutes depending on the size of your pieces.
• 4 plunge into cold water.
• 5 drain and reserve.
• 6 spinach or chard: use frozen chopped spinach or chop fresh greens and blanch about 1 minute in boiling water.
• 7 drain thoroughly in colander.
• 8 zucchini: slice or dice and sauté with onions and mushrooms.
• 9 to assemble: sauté the onions, mushrooms and zucchini (if selected) and mix with prepared vegetable of choice.
• 10 mix in fresh basil.
• 11 set aside.
• 12 with a wire whisk beat the eggs, add the milk and/or cream and season carefully with salt and pepper.
• 13 remove the crusts from the bread.
• 14 butter the bottom and sides of an 8 ½" x 11" ovenproof pan and cut enough bread to cover the bottom.
• 15 (cut pieces to fit snuggly) spread vegetables over bread and top with grated cheeses.
• 16 pour egg mixture over all.
• 17 top with remaining bread.
• 18 pressing it slightly into egg mixture.
• 19 dot with butter, cover and refrigerate overnight or for a minimum of 2 hours.
• 20 bake at 350 degrees until custard is set and dish is browned on top.
• 21 (50- 60 minutes).