Mediterranean Bread Bake

Over the years I have built up a substantial collection of cookbooks and food magazines. While the list of my cookbooks would be too long to mention here, the following are some of my favorite food magazines: Fine Cooking, BBC Good Food, Gourmet Traveller, ABC Delicious, Dish, BBC Olive and Good Taste. I have a subscription to Good Taste magazine which I’ve had for the past 4 years. Good Taste has to be the best value for money as each month their issues are packed full of great recipes and food ideas. I recently renewed my subscription and also noticed there was another Australian food magazine that I hadn’t heard of before. Super Food Ideas is Australia’s number one food magazine and since I’ve enjoyed my subscription to Good Taste, I thought I’d give this one a try. April’s issue landed at my door last week and I can see why it’s voted as number one. This issue is full of delicious looking recipes that are easy to prepare and the following is one of the dishes I tried.

Serves 4
recipe from Super Food Ideas

175g bacon, chopped
6 green onions, trimmed and chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
150g feta cheese, crumbled
10 thick slices white bread or wholewheat, crusts removed, quartered
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
8 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk

Preheat oven to 180c (160c fan forced). Heat a non stick frying pan over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Then add onion and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes or until bacon is golden. Remove from heat and stir in basil.

Place half the bacon mixture and half the feta in an 8 cup capacity ovenproof dish. Stand bread quarters in rows in the dish. Place tomato and remaining bacon mixture between and around the bread. Sprinkle with with remaining feta. Whisk eggs, milk and salt and pepper together in a bowl. Pour over bread and bake 40 minutes or until golden and just set. Stand for 5 minutes. Serve with a salad.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: This is a light and airy dish which reminds me of a cross between a soufflé and a frittata. The flavors of the bacon and feta really make this dish and would be a lovely brunch idea or serve as a light dinner. I’ll definitely make this again and add some chopped sun dried tomatoes along with some homemade pesto. YUM!