Autumn is a wonderful time for entertaining, especially with a brunch party. Cooler temperatures and shorter days seem to welcome lazy, late-morning gatherings that linger into the afternoon as you and your guests enjoy delicious, robust foods.
“But Wolfgang, brunches can be so fattening,” people sometimes tell me, especially when I use words like “delicious” and “robust.” My response doesn’t just aim to sooth their worries. In fact, it’s a cooking philosophy I myself live by: Food that tastes wonderful and fills you up doesn’t necessarily have to be bad for you.
If you plan and cook meals that feature good-quality, healthful ingredients prepared in ways that maximize their appearance, aroma, flavor and texture while minimizing excessive calories, fat, sugar and sodium, you’ll wind up with great-tasting meals that also help you thrive. And the recipe I’m happy to share for Italian strata with tomatoes, bell pepper and Swiss cheese is a perfect example of that principle.
A strata (from the Latin word that also, gives us the identical term for geological layers) is a savory Italian bread pudding made up of layers of bread, cheese and other ingredients, soaked with egg and milk and then baked until golden brown. It’s perfect for brunch, being easy to prepare and serve as well as delicious whether hot from the oven or lukewarm after sitting a short time on a brunch buffet table.
As you might imagine, a strata can be indulgently creamy and rich. But by making smart choices in your ingredients, you can easily prepare a strata that will wow everyone at your table while being a model of smart eating.
In my recipe, I substitute egg whites for some of the whole eggs, low-fat buttermilk for whole milk, and a reduced-fat version of Swiss cheese that you can find in any well-stocked supermarket. I also use whole-grain bread to give the strata more nutrients and fiber in every serving. Though hearty, the result is just 180 calories per serving, with only 21 percent of those calories coming from fat.
You’ll notice that the recipe doesn’t include any greens or breakfast meat. But if you’d like to add some, simply use a cup or two of spinach and 3 to 4 ounces of lean Canadian bacon or ham, trimmed of visible fat, cutting the meat into thin strips and tossing them with the bread cubes.
With the tomatoes, peppers and seasonings the recipe also includes, the result tastes remarkably reminiscent of a pizza. Your brunch guests will feel all the happier when you tell them that what they’re eating is not only good to eat but also good for them.
ITALIAN STRATA WITH TOMATOES, BELL PEPPER AND SWISS CHEESE
Serves 8
Ingredients:
1/2 pound stale country-style whole-wheat or multigrain bread
1 garlic clove, halved
Olive oil-flavored nonstick cooking spray
1 cup finely shredded, reduced-fat Swiss cheese
1 large red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded and torn into thin strips
2 large ripe tomatoes, cored and thinly sliced
3 large cage-free eggs
3 large cage-free egg whites
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
With a sharp bread knife, cut the bread into slices 3/4 inch thick. Rub one or both sides of each bread slice with the cut sides of the garlic-clove halves, using more or less depending on how garlicky you want the strata to be. Then cut the bread into 3/4-inch cubes.
Lightly coat the inside of a 12-by-10-inch baking dish, gratin dish or a heavy nonstick 10-inch skillet with nonstick cooking spray.
Place the bread cubes in the dish or skillet in a single, even layer. Evenly sprinkle half of the cheese over the bread. Evenly layer the bell pepper strips and tomato slices on top; then sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the peppers and tomatoes.
Put the eggs and egg whites in a mixing bowl, and beat them lightly with a fork. Add the buttermilk, red-pepper flakes and oregano, plus salt and pepper to taste, and beat until thoroughly combined. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the layered ingredients in the baking dish.
Bake the strata in the preheated oven until it looks slightly puffed up and the top is golden brown, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the dish from the oven, and let it set at room temperature for at least 10 minutes before using a large serving spoon to scoop it onto individual serving plates.