oregano leaves, chopped
Rub a splash of olive oil in a 23 cm-square baking dish (or equivalent). Alternatively, line it with baking paper. Sprinkle the baking dish or baking paper with lemon zest and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk the olive oil, mustard, salt, and pepper with a splash of the milk. Whisk in the rest of the milk and the eggs.
Put the bread in the prepared baking dish and top with the spinach and half of the feta. Gently toss with your hands—just enough that the spinach and cheese mixes with all those pieces of bread. Make sure the bread is relatively level in the baking dish. Very slowly drizzle the egg mixture over the bread and sprinkle with the remaining feta. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, when you are ready to bake the strata, preheat the oven to 175°C (Gas Mark 3–4) with a rack in the top third of the oven.
Bake the strata, uncovered, for 45–55 minutes, until the egg is set in the middle and the edges are browned. You need to cut into it a bit to be sure it is well cooked, particularly in the centre. It can be a bit tricky to tell; err on the side of overdone versus underdone. I like to brown the top a bit more under a low grill to finish it off, but it’s an optional extra step. Skip this step if you’ve lined your dish with baking paper. Serve warm, drizzled with a bit of olive oil and sprinkled with the fresh oregano.
SERVES 6
Fruit Salad
APPLES, RASPBERRIES, GRAPES, FIGS, PEACHES
My friend Jennifer Jeffrey made this jewel-toned beauty of a fruit salad as part of a breakfast we had while on a weekend getaway to Lake Tahoe. It was early autumn and the range of colours in the fruit she used was vibrant and stunning—sunset-streaked nectarines alongside raspberries a shade of deep pink reserved for only the juiciest of lip glosses. Use whatever fruit is in season where you live, and the most flavourful you can find. If you pre-cut the apples or pears, keep them in a some mild lemon water (1.2 litres water mixed with the juice of one lemon) so they don’t brown. Then drain well before using.
140 g raspberries, cut in half
280 g seedless grapes, whole or cut in half
6 small fresh figs, quartered
2 small apples or pears, cored and cut into 2.5 cm pieces
1 large nectarine, stoned and cut into 2.5 cm pieces
Big squeeze of fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint, chopped (optional)
Drizzle of honey
Just before serving, combine the raspberries, grapes, figs, apples, and nectarine in a large bowl. Add the orange juice, mint, and honey. Toss very gently. The last thing you want is for the fruit to get banged up and mushy. Serve immediately.
SERVES 4–6
Sun Toast
WHOLEMEAL WHOLEGRAIN BREAD, FRESH EGGS
This breakfast is all about the crunch of buttery toast playing off a single, delicate egg cooked in the bread’s centre. I call it sun toast, but you might recognise it by one of its other names: egg in a hole, bull’s-eye, egg on a raft, or, for the more literal-minded, framed egg.
2.5 cm-thick slice artisan wholemeal wholegrain bread
1 large egg
Slather of unsalted butter
1 garlic clove
Use a 4 cm-round cookie cutter to cut a circle out of the middle of the piece of bread. You’ll use both pieces, so don’t throw the little circle away. Butter the bread and the circle on both sides.
Place the bread pieces in a large frying pan over medium–low heat. Toast both sides of each but don’t let them get too dark at this point. You don’t want the butter to smoke or the bread to burn. Once toasted, carefully crack the egg into the hole in the bread and let it cook until the egg white sets and looks about halfway done. Use a spatula to flip and cook the other side until deeply golden, a few minutes all told. The little round piece might be done more quickly; if so, just remove it from the pan. Do your best to avoid scorching the egg, but cook it to your liking—less time if you like it on the runny side, more if you like it set.
Place