Broccoli and Mushroom Bake With Speck (smoked meat)

 

The other day, I went overboard with my broccoli purchase at the grocery store. My husband is not a fan of broccoli on its own but will eat it in a quiche or the classic broccoli soup. As I looked at what we needed to use in the fridge, broccoli, mushrooms, shredded cheese, and ricotta were at the top of the list. The alternative would be to feed the veggies to our goats. So, I came up with the idea to use them together and knew the flavors would blend well. The eggs used in the dish became the binder. We also had on hand a special type of meat very similar to bacon, called Speck, in many European cultures. You could easily substitute American bacon or ham in this recipe. Speck is a skin-on deboned type of ham that is cold-smoked. It is first dried and matured in a moist, controlled environment. Robert approved of the dish, which was very tasty, and I was happy to have used what we had on hand. I will definitely make this dish again.

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Ingredients

• 1 Head of broccoli divided into florets
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 6 oz Speck, bacon or ham cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 Yellow onion diced
• 5 Crimini mushrooms sliced
• 2 Cloves garlic diced
• 1 Chili pepper diced
• 5 Whole eggs
• 1/2 Cup sour cream
• 3/4 Cup ricotta
• Small bunch parsley chopped, approx 1/2 cup
• 3/4 Cup grated cheese we selected a good melting blend with cheddar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation - 5 minutes Cook Time - 35 minutes Serving 6-8

1. To prepare the dish, start by steaming the broccoli for about five minutes. The goal is to remove the raw flavor while keeping it slightly undercooked as it will continue to cook in the oven. Once steamed, set it aside.
2. Next, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
3. In a large skillet, cook your smoked meat until it becomes crisp. Then, heat the olive oil in the same pan and add your onions and mushrooms. Sprinkle a small amount of salt to help remove the excess moisture from the ingredients.
4. Now, add the garlic to the skillet and cook it until it becomes fragrant, which should take about a minute.
5. Crack your eggs into a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add your desired amount of salt and pepper, along with the sour cream and ricotta. Whisk the mixture together. Then, add in the parsley and chili pepper, and pour the mixture over the veggies and smoked meat. Stir everything together, making sure everything is evenly coated.
6. In a small baking dish (9 x 9"), line the bottom with the steamed broccoli. Then, pour the mixture of cooked meat and veggies over the broccoli. Top it all off with grated cheese.
7. Finally, bake the dish uncovered for 30 minutes and enjoy!