Spinach Strata

Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Please don’t forget to do this. I did it once and it took me years to scrape off the memories of that strata.

Make a single layer of bread cubes in the bottom of the baking dish. I like to squish them up close to each other, but that may require more than one loaf of bread. I’m not great at using measurements; I just fill it until it fits. Cover the bread evenly with the spinach. Then add the shredded provolone cheese. Top with another layer of bread cubes.

In a medium/large sized mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and seasonings. Pour the mixture over the layers evenly, making sure that the entire top layer of bread is moistened. Cover it with plastic wrap and weight it, either with boxes of food that can sit in the refrigerator, or fill a couple of gallon zip bags with beans, rice, etc. so that the bread gets mashed down. You don’t have to do this, but it changes the texture. I’ve done it both ways and prefer it weighted. Then refrigerate it overnight or, if you wish, just go ahead and bake it for 1 hour in a 350-degree preheated oven.

Start checking on it at about 50 minutes. It should be ready to remove when it is puffed up and starting to get golden brown. Such a lovely color, golden brown. The way I used to look when I lived on my sailboat in the Caribbean. But I’ve wandered off subject …

For a true test, a knife inserted in the center should come out clean. While it is cooling, top with the mozzarella or whatever mix of mild cheeses you may have chosen. (Gruyère is a lovely topper for this. I wouldn’t use cheddar, although that was listed the first time I ever read this recipe. Cheddar is just too strong for the spinach, in my opinion. Which is never humble, simply because it is my opinion.)

The cheeses should melt without reheating, but you might need to return it to the oven for just a minute to finish melting. It does well at room temperature, so it is a good choice for a brunch buffet.