Break out the skillet for strata

Skillets have to be one of the handiest items in the kitchen.

While watching my favorite PBS show Sunday afternoon, “Lidia’s Kitchen,” my mouth began to water as Lidia cooked up an escarole pie and baked it in a big skillet, sort of like a deep-dish pizza. (BTW, check out Lidia’s new blog; it’s filled with good recipes and many behind-the-scenes looks at this wonderful Italian cook).
(Associated Press photo/CIA/Ben Fink)

I love to make cornbread in my big cast iron skillet. That and vegetarian shepherd’s pies and cobblers work like a charm in this honored vessel (I also know I’m getting a good dose of iron from cooking in this well-seasoned skillet).

So skillets caught my eye while perusing the wires for a centerpiece for today’s Poughkeepsie Journal Busy Cook.

The recipes, compiled by Gannett News Service, are from “The Best Skillet Recipes” (2009, America’s Test Kitchen, $35).

The cooks at America’s Test Kitchen celebrate the skillet’s versatility with more than 250 thoroughly written, exhaustively tested recipes — everything from pasta and pizza to stir-fries and curries to eggs, vegetables and sides.

Here’s another recipe that would make a great dish for Sunday brunch or a light springtime meal:

(This skillet strata doesn't have to be made overnight. Gannett/America's Test Kitchen/file photo)

Spinach and Gouda Strata

1. 6 large eggs
2. 1 1/2 cups whole milk
3. 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
4. Ground black pepper
5. 4 ounces Gouda cheese, shredded (1 cup)
6. 4 tablespoons (one-half stick) unsalted butter
7. 1 medium onion, minced
8. 1/2 teaspoon salt
9. 5 slices high-quality white sandwich bread, cut into 1-inch squares
10. 2 medium garlic cloves, minced OR pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
11. 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed in microwave, wrapped in towel and squeezed as dry as possible
    

• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat to 425 degrees.
• In bowl, whisk eggs, milk, thyme and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together, then stir in cheese and set aside.
• Melt butter in 10-inch oven-safe nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add onion and salt and cook until onion is softened and lightly browned, about 6 minutes.
• Add bread and, using rubber spatula, carefully fold bread into onion mixture until evenly coated. Cook bread, folding occasionally, until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Remove skillet from heat and fold in reserved egg mixture until slightly thickened and well combined with bread.
• Stir in spinach. Gently press top of strata to help soak up egg mixture.
• Transfer skillet to oven and bake until edges and center are puffed and edges have pulled away slightly from sides of pan, about 12 minutes.
• Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
• Serves 4 to 6.
  

Note: For cheddar and thyme variation, substitute cheddar cheese for Gouda and omit garlic and spinach.

Source: “The Best Skillet Recipes” by the Editors of Cook’s Illustrated.