The Gouda Life

It’s become blatantly obvious over the past few months that I have a terrible curse. One that affects not only myself, but whomever happens to be with me. A breakfast curse. 

Ottawa has been gifted with many wonderful restaurants that serve creative and enticing brunch menus to the masses that show up from open to close on the weekends (and likely during the week as well, but brunch doesn’t exist during the week as far as I’m concerned. It’s just easier that way.)

What could possibly be the issue, then?
Let me tell you. Every time I am asked out to brunch, or take Mr. GL (who isn’t the biggest brunch fan in the first place) out, we end up waiting over an hour to get our food while everyone around us receives theirs almost immediately. Customers come and go as we sit, tummies grumbling. Every time.  And as if that weren’t bad enough, I usually end up getting the snarkiest, most unhelpful waiter in the joint. It’s unfortunate, but it’s a reality I’ve come to accept. Brunch spots and I just don’t mix. Maybe I’ll give it a few years and try again. Maybe. 



Instead of sulking at home eating roasted chicken and potatoes with gravy for breakfast, I’ve been experimenting more with some brunch options that are easily made in advance and can be cooked in the morning for a quick and satisfying breakfast that doesn’t require waiting in line, waiting an hour to be served, or being barked at by wait staff. 

I brought this Strata to my girlfriends place last weekend and was so thrilled at the simplicity of it. It was beautiful to look at, delightful to eat, and easy to make. And as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t get much better than that. Add a few homefries, some fruit salad and coffee for a full brunch that you don’t even have to brush your hair or get dressed to enjoy. 



Aged Cheddar, Spinach & Arugula Strata
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Tip: I made the mistake of using a too-tiny dish and ended up with raw eggs all over the floor, counter, and myself. It’s probably best you try to avoid that. 

1 large onion, chopped
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 10oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeeze of all excess liquid
2 large handfuls arugula
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
8 cups crusty bread, cut into cubes
3 cups good quality aged (I used 4yr) cheddar
2 3/4 cups milk
9 large eggs
2 tbsp Dijon mustard

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onions. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the 1/2 the salt, 1/2 the pepper and nutmeg and saute for another 2 minutes. Add the spinach and arugula and cook until arugula is soft. 



Butter a 3-qt gratin dish and add half the bread cubes. Cover with half the spinach mixture and half of the cheese. Repeat again. 

In a separate dish, whisk the eggs, milk and dijon and remaining salt and pepper. Pour the mixture over the bread. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, up to a day. 




This was immediately before the eggs spilled onto everything. Thankfully, I got the photo just in time. 

The next day, let the dish sit at room temperature for 30 minutes while you’re preheating the oven to 350.

Bake, uncovered on the middle rack, until puffy and  golden brown on top, 45-55 minutes. 





Pour yourself a coffee, grab the newspaper and enjoy! 


 

I had full intentions of coming on here tonight and writing out the Salted Butter Caramel ice cream recipe for you. I did. Scouts honour.

Up until about 2pm, I had decided that I wasn’t going to cook dinner tonight, but instead have something easy, poached eggs on toast or salad, so I could relax and spend some time on the other intended entry. And then my good friend Melody, the one who left me for Halifax and perfect fall-like weather year round, asked me a question.

“Cooking anything good tonight?”

It was as simple as that. That’s all it took to send my thoughts into “need to find something to make, need to make something different, need to get in the kitchen…” mode. I never claimed to be even remotely sane or have it totally together.

As I sat at my desk and frantically scoured the internet for some inspiration, I had a few thoughts of what I might want to make. Vegan breakfast loaf…no, wait… pasta…no, no… something for lunch.. roasted vegetables… and then I saw it. Spinach Rice Gratin. Courtesy of Heidi Swanson, whom I gush about much too frequently, of 101cookbooks.

This is the perfect dish. It’s easy, it’s cheap, it can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner, it’s delicious and filling, and it’s good for you. Things I wish every meal could be.

I made a few minor changes. Mostly because I had to. Lesson of the day: Grocery lists work better when you don’t leave them on your desk at the office.



I really enjoy this dish. Enough to bring it for lunch for the rest of the week. And that’s a big deal. I do not like to have the same thing over and over. Or even two days in a row sometimes. That makes me sound like a bit of a priss-pants, which I hate, but I just get bored easily, ok? So stop judging me and make the dang gratin. You’ll like it. For days and days.

Spinach and Rice Gratin
recipe from 101cookbooks

The recipe calls for leftover rice, but I made mine when I got home from work and just let it cool a little before making the gratin. Use brown rice or a mixture of brown and wild.

2 1/2 cups leftover/pre-cooked brown rice, room temp
1 1/2 cups cups well finely chopped spinach
10 black olives, chopped
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1/3 cup almonds, toasted (buy raw almonds and toast them yourself for the best flavour)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Rack in the top third. Grease a 10-inch round baking dish (or equivalent) with a bit of olive oil.

If you’re making your rice, cook according to package instructions and spread on a baking sheet until cooled.

In a large bowl combine the rice and spinach. Now, reserving a bit of each for garnish, stir in the olives, and red onion, amonds and olive oil. Now stir in 1/4 cup of the cheese. Add the eggs and fold in. Pour into a greased 10” casserole dish, or whatever dish you have. The gratin should be spread out enough to be about 2” thick. Mine was a little thin. Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 30 minutes or until the casserole is set, and the top toasty and golden. Remove from the oven, and sprinkle with remaining onions, olives, and almonds. Sprinkle with a bit more salt before serving - or taste and get a sense of whether you need any.

I gave mine a pretty hefty dousing of hot sauce before I ate it. If you’re a hot-sauce fan, this is a good dish for it. If you don’t, well you’re a wuss. No, I’m kidding. You’re not a wuss! Some of us just aren’t cut out for a spicy life.