If strata be the food of love...

Sorry Shakespeare, but it's got to be done:

If strata be the food of love,
Play on!
Give me excess of it,
That surfeiting, the appetite may sicken and so die...

I'm pretty sure that is a directly quotation from my dear friend Will. Or, failing that, I believe strongly that, if he had ever had strata, he probably had it in mind when writing these opening lines to Twelfth Night. I'm not sure if he was also aware that, students of this play would still be able to quote the opening page of Twelfth Night a full 31 years after having had to study it for exams... if he was aware of that, he would probably not have begrudged them a large and cheesy helping of strata.

And this strata is comfort food extraordinaire, which as you know, is my preferred form of excess. Moreover, it contains vegetables, so boom. And its vegetarian... But no, it's not vegan or low carb. Seriously, if you are a regular on my blog, what do you expect!

And one final plea - don't save me for brunch. Sadly, brunch is a once-every-so-often weekend occurrence, which, although delicious and satisfying, is all too rare. Pair this beauty with a salad, and this is dinner, baby. And delicious dinner at that.

Kale, Mushroom and Gouda Strata
Serves 8-10

1 large bunch laminate/Scotch kale, destemmed and chopped
1 large loaf ciabatta, thinly sliced
4 TBSP butter
1 red onion, thinly sliced
4 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
6 oz smoked gouda cheese, shredded
10 eggs
4 cups milk
grated fresh nutmeg

1. Spread the butter on the ciabatta slices. Grease a 9"x13" pan/dish with cooking spray and line with one layer of buttered bread slices.
2. Fry the onions and mushrooms in olive oil for five minutes over medium heat until softened. Add cumin seeds and kale, stirring to combine. Continue to saute until the kale is softened.
3. Spread the vegetable mixture over the bread slices in the pan, then sprinkle over half the shredded gouda and season with salt and pepper.
4. Layer over remaining bread slices and sprinkle over the remaining half of the cheese.
5. Beat the eggs with the milk and nutmeg and pour slowly over the dish.
6. Press lightly on the topmost bread slices to make sure they come into contact with the egg mixture, and then leave for at least 1 hour, or even overnight. Preheat oven to 375F (190C).
7. Bake for 40 minutes or until risen, golden and crispy on top. If the top browns too quickly, and the middle is still liquid with uncooked eggs, then cover with foil for remaining baking time, until middle is firmer.