Saturday, May 1, 2010
Spinach and Pancetta Strata - Pink Saturday
From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's time for the April challenge at Recipes to Rival. This month's challenge, chosen by Temperama of High on the Hog, was a Giada De Laurentis recipe for a Spinach and Pancetta Strata. It's a wonderful recipe for this time of year. It can be assembled the night before serving and that makes it a natural for for a Mother's Day brunch. I cut all the ingredients in half, but made no other changes to the recipe we were asked to prepare. Those of you who have large families to entertain will appreciate the ease with which this can be assembled. The strata is simple to make and it uses readily available ingredients. It is also delicious. One of the nice things about Giada's recipes is their consistency. They are never great but they are always good and visually appealing. I hope you'll try this. You won't be disappointed. Here's the recipe.
Spinach and Pancetta Strata...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite, courtesy of Giada De Laurentis from Everyday Italian episode: My Family Favorites
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 (10-ounce) box chopped frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
8 cups cubed Italian bread, from a 1-pound loaf
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
3 cups whole milk
10 large eggs
Directions:
1) Heat oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add pancetta and saute until crisp and golden, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pancetta to a bowl. Add onion to pan drippings in same skillet and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add spinach and garlic. Saute over medium-low heat until garlic is tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, nutmeg, and cooked pancetta.
2) Place half of bread cubes in a buttered 3-quart baking dish. Sprinkle half of cheese over the bread, then top with half of spinach mixture. Repeat layering.
3) Whisk milk, eggs, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a large bowl and pour evenly over strata. Chill strata, covered with plastic wrap, at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.
4) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
5) Bake strata uncovered until puffed, golden brown, and cooked through, about 40 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 8 servings.
You might also enjoy these recipes:
Frittata with Spring Herbs and Leeks - One Perfect Bite
Smoked Salmon Frittata - One Perfect Bite
Individual Baked Omelets - One Perfect Bite
This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.
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36 comments :
As usual beautiful photos! This is great for our chilly nights too! Have a good weekend Mary!
I love eggs very much. This is such a lovely combination...beautiful colour and looks very delicious. I can even eat that just for lunch. Have a lovely weekend.
Happy Pink Saturday Mary. Love to try this one. Looks very healthy.
Thank you for sharing.
Enjoy the weekend.
I can eat spinach all day and everyday I just love it. This sounds like a good variation and I usually have a good supply in the garden. Just wait until I have those rabbits fenced off! Diane
We love spinach just about any way it's fixed and this sounds delicious, Mary. Your photos are beautiful.
Have a wonderful weekend..
xo bj
All of Gaida's recipes that I've tried have been good -- and they are usually fairly easy as well. This does look like a good dish for a Mother's Day Brunch!
I don't really eat much spinach but I do love eggs, so yes, I would eat this dish with relish! It looks so good! Have a nice weekend Mary...It's very hot here!
I love it! Looks so great for a weekend dinner!
Mmm...you have me craving strata now--my favorite is usually turkey sausage but this one looks mighty good. Love the pancetta! ;-)
Mary,
Sounds wonderful. I love dishes that can be prepared ahead.
Happy Pink Saturday.
Carol
Mary, you hit the nail on the head about Giada. I love stratas for their ease and actually have to make one for a teacher breakfast this week Thank you
xoxo Pattie
Oh yes, this will be perfect for Mother's Day! I love that it can be assembled the night before. Your pictures are lovely!
That looks delicious Mary
Great looking strata Mary. I love to make these when I'm having overnight guests.
Mary... another winner. You can look forward to this on my blog soon. Love the salty sausage in the egg dish
This sounds like a good recipe for the challenge! I love cooking spinach in this way cause not many of them like it raw. And I love all the ingredients you put in there too. Looks so tempting!
You have a great weekend too!
Best wishes,
Kristy
ciao!!! una ricetta ottima!! bravissima come sempre!! ciao!
This is a wonderful brunch dish - perfect for Mother's Day. And it can be prepared ahead of time. Love that.
Oh we love spinach here, so this will be a must try. Didn't know you were a part of Pink Saturday!
Fantastic! this looks mouthwatering!!!
Another yummy one! Happy PS!
Hugs,
Jacalyn
This is such a lovely combination...beautiful colour and looks very delicious. I can even eat that just for lunch. Have a lovely weekend.
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Mmm, this looks so perfect for a Mother's Day brunch!
Giada's recipes are always reliable, which is probably what is so great about them. I've never made a strata before, but seeing as how it falls into the bread pudding family, I am definitely going to have to! Love the spinach and pancetta combo.
As usual awesome recipe and beautiful photos x
This is a perfect brunch recipe for Mother's Day. Lovely recipe. I have never made a strata or a fritata, so I think I will have to try my hand at this one.
I do have to disagree with you and some of your commenters. I love Giada, and she does have some pretty fantastic recipes out there. No they are not all outstanding, you just have to pick and choose. For instance she has a recipe on FN for: Grilled Meats and Vegetables over Saffron Orzo" which I have made on more than one occasion that is absolutely delicious. Also her "Artichoke Gratinata" which received rave reviews from Kim at Stirring the Pot. Sorry, but I just adore her and I love Italian food.
Mary, this looks delicious....I will definitely make it. I need more recipes like this one....!
YOU DID IT AGAIN MY FRIEND. THIS WOULD BE PERFECT FOR THE HOLIDAY MORNINGS. I LOVE STRADAS. HAPPY PINK SATURDAY, CHAR
Asusual.. this looks delish
Hi Mary,
I saw one of your pictures in the Artful Blogging magazine! Congratulations!!!
Cheers,
Amisha
This looks like a crowd pleaser for sure. My backyard chickens would make that Strata very, very orange! :)
As always Mary, the background and the pictures of the recipe are just wonderful... Happy Pinks and have a most wonderful weekend.
Mary
This is a great recipe for a brunch! Like you say it is also easy to assemble and prepare ahead of time: a lot of good qualities in one dish!
Beautiful clicks, looks yummy..
This is our first time here...you have a WONDERFUL blog and your love for food shows!! Happing cooking !!
Happy Pink Saturday, Mary.
This sounds like it would be perfect for a brunch I am planning with my cousins. And, it definitely sounds easy.
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