An homage to my friend and neighbor of the Cobb, Scott Cussimano, who sadly passed away last year, the Breakfast Strata was a dish he prepared many times. Scott was of Italian descent and cooked many dishes reflecting his heritage. Shockingly, this was a new dish to me, and come fall football season, it has become a frequent dish on the weekend rotation. Prepared and served with bottomless mimosas, it has become a staple in the Hadland Household as we cheer on the Washington Huskies and Seattle Seahawks.
Ingredients
1 loaf of artisan bread – ideally a kalamata olive loaf
2 pounds of sausage, preferably hot Italian. I often also mix in chorizo
1 pound of diced ham
1 pound of bacon (optional)
2-3 cups of cheese – Gruyere and white sharp cheddar
1 dozen eggs
2 leeks
1 onion
1 cup chanterelle mushrooms
2 cups heavy cream
Butter for cooking vegetables and greasing the pan
Preparation
Cook the sausage, breaking it into small chunks
Drain the sausage and line the bottom of the butter-greased pan
Dice/cube the bread – cut into approximately one-inch squares
Slice and saute the leeks in butter
Dice and saute the onion in butter
Chop and saute the mushrooms in butter
Grate the cheese
Dice the ham (it’s pre-cooked) so no need to cook it again)
Mix all of the ingredients (except the sausage, which is lining the pan) into a large bowl
Add in the eggs – mix everything with your hands gently
Fold all of the ingredients into your baking dish (at least 9X12)
Pour the heavy cream over the dish
Cover with foil and convection bake at 325 for 45 minutes
Remove the foil 15 minutes before finishing to get a good crust on top of the strata
Serve with your favorite hot sauce.
Mix the ingredients and assemble the strata
Final assembly
Go Huskies and Hawks!
