What's for Dinner? Week of June 15

Monday (6/15): Ginger and Honey Baby Back Ribs; Spinach, tomato, olive and feta bread salad
Why I thought these two dishes would be complimentary is beyond me? Both were tasty but not together.

From the cover of Bon Appetit. I doubled the amount of marinate and added more honey to the recipe. I also reduced the sauce after marinating and basted towards the end of BB-Qing. I did not make the dipping sauce, it seemed unnecessary and a little strange? In the future I would reduce the amount of salt. Very, very tasty but a bit salty.

Tuesday: Left-over Vegetable Chow Fun from Huong-Tra; Cherry cobbler

Wednesday: Gingery Pork Belly, rice and stir-fried veggies

Thursday: Something inspired by Emeril's Tangerine-glazed pork belly recipe. Given that tangerines are out of season, I suspect I will substitute oranges (or maybe even grapefruit) which are slightly more in season.
What's the story with all the pork-belly? I defrosted a large pieced of bone-in pork belly from the Mangalitsa cache, the piece was larger and more unyieldy than I suspected. So, I separated it from the bone (this piece will be used for Emeril's recipe tomorrow) and I used the boneless piece tonight.

Friday: "Everything dinner" heavy on produce. Produce, I suspect will be in the house come Friday - Potatoes, kale, left-overs from the pork belly extravaganza, avocados, cherries, peaches, and produce from this week's CSA box.

The What's for Dinner? post inspired by Chaos in the Kitchen. It seems to be a good way to both plan and re-cap the week's eating.

Sausage, Fontina, Bell pepper and Greens Strata

Traditionally thought of as a breakfast casserole, Strata is really appropriate morning, noon or night. It can be adapted to utilize what's available in your vegetable crisper, makes use of left-over (or over purchased) bread and reheats well. Inspired once again by this month's bon appetite.

I made it for dinner Sunday night.



Sausage, Fontina, Bell pepper and Greens Strata
In a large frying pan over medium-high heat saute until brown:
~1 pound of roughly chopped chicken sausage (I used pre-cooked Trader Joe's Chicken, spinach fontina sausage), about 7 minutes.
Remove from pan, place in large bowl and set to the side.

In pan drippings saute until translucent and starting to brown:
1 onion roughly chopped about 5-6 minutes
1-3 (based on personal preference) cloves of smashed garlic

Add:
2 thinly sliced red bell peppers
Saute until limp 5-7 minutes. Remove from pan and place in bowl with sausage.

Lightly coat skillet (the same one) with olive oil, wilt over medium heat:
1-2 pounds of greens roughly chopped
Remove from pan and place in bowl with sausage, onions and peppers. Stir well to combine.

In a medium size bowl combine:
3 eggs
3 egg whites
1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons of oregano
2 cups of low-fat milk
1/3 cup of whipping cream
Stir well to combine.

For the next step you'll need:
~1 pound baguette roughly cubed
1/4 pound shredded Fontina cheese

Spray a large square casserole with
Pam (0r other non-stick spray).
Place one thick layer of bread cubes in bottom of casserole. Pour ~1/2 of egg mixture over bread cubes. Mix to coat bread cubes entirely. There will be excess egg mixture in the bottom of the casserole. Layer 1/2 of your shredded cheese, and 1/2 sausage, onions and bell peppers. Cover with remaining bread cubes. Pour remaining egg mixture over top. Spread remaining cheese on top.

Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes. Allow to set for 5-10 minutes before cutting into squares.

Time: 1.5 - 1.75 hours (1 hour unattended)
Servings: 6 - 8 large squares