This is second recipe this week I made from a cookbook called 'Dinner at Your Door: Tips and Recipes for Starting a Neighborhood Cooking Co-Op' by Alex Davis, Diana Ellis and Andy Remeis.
It's a easy and slightly different vegetarian main dish featuring fresh lavender blossoms, an herb not often used in savory applications. Use only unsprayed, organic blossoms. If you don't grow your own, check at the farmer's markets. I'm sure you could substitute dried blossoms, which are available in the spice aisle; I would probably scale back to 2 t. if using dried.
The book is scaled to make 12 servings of each dish to facilitate the co-op concept; I adapted to make a single 9x13 pan.
Spinach, Lavender and Goat Cheese Strata
Spinach Layer
10-16 oz fresh spinach, large stems removed, chopped
1 t. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
s&p to taste
Custard
4 cups milk (do not use nonfat)
6 eggs
1 T dijon mustard
1 T fresh lavender flowers, finely minced
1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes
Strata
1 long French bread baguettes - day old or slightly stale
6 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1/4 c chopped fresh chives
Garnish suggestions (choose 2): Fresh chive strands, fresh chive blossoms, fresh lavender flowers, chopped Italian parsley.
Spinach layer: Place spinach in soup pot with a little water and cook, covered, til spinach wilts. Remove spinach and drain. (Use metal ricer to squeeze water out, or spin in salad spinner, then blot dry).
In dry soup pot, heat oil over medium. Add onions and cook til barely translucent, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook another minute, stirring. Combine spinach w/onion and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
Custard: Whisk together in large bowl til well blended.
Strata: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray bottom of 9x13 with non-stick spray. Slice bread in 1/2" thick slices. Place in single layer to cover the bottom of the dish. Next distribute spinach mixture evenly over bread. Top with goat cheese then sprinkle on chives. Gently pour custard over strata and let rest 30 minutes at room temp (can rest overnight in the frig if you wish).
Bake 30-40 minutes, or til puffed and golden.
This is what it looked like before I popped it into the oven - sorry, didn't get an "after" shot.
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