Swiss Rye Strata Recipes

HAM AND SWISS STRATA

Steps:

• Place half of the bread cubes in a greased 11x7-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the parsley, onion, ham and cheese. Repeat layers. , In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, mustard, salt, pepper and hot pepper sauce. Pour over cheese. , Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

SPINACH & CHEESE STRATA

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and drained spinach and cook 2 minutes more. Set aside.
• Butter a 3-quart or 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread one third of the bread cubes in the dish and top evenly with one third of spinach mixture. (Try to break it up as much as possible so there are no huge clumps of spinach.) Sprinkle with one third of each cheese. Repeat layering twice, ending with cheeses.
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the half-and-half, mustard, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and whisk until well combined. Pour the custard mixture evenly over the strata. Cover the strata with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 325°F. Bake the strata, uncovered, until puffed, set and golden brown all over top, 70-80 minutes. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving. It will settle a bit as it cools.
• Note: The cook time is based on the strata going immediately from the fridge to the oven. If it sits out at room temperature before baking, the cook time will be about 10 minutes less.

SWISS RYE STRATA

Steps:

• Spray two 10-ounce oval or round individual casseroles with cooking spray. Heat oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook onion in oil about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
• Mix onion, bread, cheese and chicken; spoon into casseroles. Beat remaining ingredients with hand beater until blended; pour over bread mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
• Heat oven to 325°F. Bake uncovered 30 to 35 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

HAM & SWISS ON RYE STRATA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet; bake 20 minutes, till slightly dried.
• While bread is baking, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add ham and saute a few minutes. Add oil (if desired) and stir in onion, garlic, and mushrooms. Saute till onion and garlic are golden and soft and mushrooms have released their liquid. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Whisk together milk, egg, thyme, pepper, and salt.
• To assemble the strata, layer half the bread cubes in the bottom of a lightly greased 9 by 13 inch glass baking dish. Sprinkle with half the ham mixture and 1/3 of the swiss cheese. Repeat layers. Gently pour egg mixture over layers and top with remaining 1/3 swiss cheese. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and refrigerate* at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
• To bake the strata, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake strata, still covered with foil, for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 20-30 minutes, until cheese on top is melted and egg portion is set (check by inserting a knife in the center--if it comes back without egg on it, you're set!).
• Let strata rest 5 minutes before serving.
• *Refrigeration time not included in recipe prep/cooking time.

VEGETARIAN BREAKFAST CASSEROLE WITH SWISS CHARD AND GRUYERE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add the onion, and sauté for about 3 minutes, until translucent.
• Add the Swiss chard, and sauté until wilted and the stems are slightly browned. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
• Generously butter a 9x13 casserole dish.
• Layer one-third of the bread cubes over the bottom of the dish. It won't fully cover the bottom, but this is ok.
• Layer one-third of the sautéd chard over top of the bread, followed by one-third of the gruyere, and one-third of the Parmesan.
• Repeat these layers two more times.
• Whisk eggs together with Dijon mustard, then whisk in the milk, salt, and pepper.
• Pour the custard over top of the strata layers. Cover with plastic wrap, and set in the fridge overnight or for at least four hours, but up to one day.
• When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F /180°C.
• Bake the strata for 45-55 minutes, until it is puffed and golden on top, and no longer so jiggly in the middle (a little jiggle is ok as it will continue to cook as it cools).
• Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

HOW TO MAKE A STRATA

Steps:

• Grease a 9x13 pan. Chop bacon into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Cook until crispy. Set aside on paper towels and pat to remove excess grease. Pour all but a couple of tablespoons of the bacon grease out of the pan. Cook shallots in remaining fat until softened. Set aside. Whisk eggs for 1-2 minutes. Whisk in milk, mustard, salt, and pepper. Stir in reserved bacon, shallots, cheese, and parsley. Fold in the torn bread. Pour into the prepared pan and cover with foil. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, up to 24. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Bake strata for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until golden, puffed, and set in the center. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. (The strata will deflate as is rests.) Scoop portions with a large spoon rather than trying to cut into squares.

HAM AND SWISS "ON RYE" CASSEROLE

Steps:

• 1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add onion flakes and pasta; cook according to directions on package. Drain and return to pot.
• 2. Stir in ham, soup, milk and caraway seed. (Add more milk if needed to get consistency you want). Add salt and pepper, to taste.
• 3. Spoon half the mixture into a casserole dish that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray. Place 3 slices of cheese over this layer and top with remaining pasta mix. Top with remaining slices of cheese.
• 4. Cover with foil and bake in pre-heated 325F oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes.
• 5. Serve.