Category Archives: Cook

Artichoke-Spinach Croissant Strata

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Ingredients

  • 1 lb frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained
  • 1 red bell pepper, minced
  • 1 white onion, minced
  • 2 T butter
  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 1 can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
  • 5 oz Parmesan/Romano cheese, shredded
  • 1/2 ts white pepper
  • 1/2 ts garlic powder
  • 1 T salt
  • 1 T lemon juice
  • 1 T hot sauce ( I used Cholula)
  • 3 C half-and-half
  • 18 eggs
  • 24 mini croissants, or 12 large croissants

Procedure

  1. Cook spinach according to package directions and drain. Set aside to cool.
  2. In a large saucepan, sweat bell pepper and onion in butter over medium heat until translucent and soft. Turn off the heat and add the cream cheese to the pot to melt. Once it has softened, add the spinach, artichoke hearts, cheese, pepper, garlic powder, salt, lemon juice, and hot sauce. Stir to combine.
  3. With a whisk or eggbeater, combine eggs and half-and-half. Fold about a third of the egg mixture into the spinach-artichoke filling.
  4. Lightly coat three 9×9 pans with nonstick spray. Tear half of the croissants into 1" pieces and create a bottom crust by lining the pans with the croissant pieces.
  5. Gently spoon the spinach-artichoke filling into the pans, spreading evenly without disturbing the crust.
  6. Top with the reserved portion of croissants, as for the bottom crust.
  7. Pour the remaining egg mixture slowly over the pans, trying to soak the top crust as much as possible. Use a fork to push down any stubborn pieces into the egg mix without disturbing the layers.
  8. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 350F. Uncover, and continue to bake for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown on top and cooked through.

Notes

This recipe makes three 9×9 pans of strata: one for now, and two for the freezer. I'm pretty sure this could be done in a muffin tin to produce something similar to Panera's breakfast souffles with a little alteration of baking times.

Lamb Pilaf

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Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground lamb
  • 1 yellow or sweet onion, slivered
  • 1 10 oz bag matchstick carrots
  • 3 T Penzeys Greek seasoning
  • 3 C long-grained rice (I use jasmine rice because it is what I generally have on hand)
  • 4 C water

Procedure

  1. Sauté the lamb, carrots, and onions together until the lamb is done and the onion is translucent.
  2. Add the seasoning and rice; stir for a few minutes until the rice is very slightly toasted.
  3. Add the water and bring to a boil. Stir, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 22-25 minutes.
  4. When the rice is done, fluff with a fork and serve.

Serving suggestions

A Greek salad goes nicely with lamb pilaf; sprinkle both with crumbled feta cheese and fresh lemon juice.