Spinach Mushroom Onion Baked Frittata- " Nonta Cake"

I find myself often puzzled when I need to make breakfast on early mornings and that too on Sunday. Now usually it’s chirer pulao/poha  or upma-“the nonta suji ” most of the times or many times banana pancake, or some blueberry banana muffins and oh!  How can I forget chocolate muffin, without that the world would crumble like Adele’s sky fall. And then sometimes a frittata is also made out of blue. As we the grown-ups are little averse of eating so many eggs and cheese together, but it’s for our dear daughter who likes these new kinds of recipes a lot. 

Her “nonta cake” as she calls it fondly, has been made couple of times now with obviously her choice of vegetables. Actually this was being one of the reasons I started to make frittata to develop her interest in eating vegetables. She was not into eating spinach and some of the vegetables, so told her about “Popeye” and his spinach eating antics. She said, “Are you joking Ma!!”  I am not going to eat spinach puree-yuck! And who eats that gooey green puree these days, it’s just the cartoon character and the fictional story, seriously? Kids I tell you are way much advanced than we were as kids and the conversation stopped there. Although couple of days ago when I made palak-paneer, it was all gone- two picky eaters that I have in our home, finished their share quickly, helping themselves for second times. And I told dear daughter, “Hey! Hey! I see with my eyes, somebody eating spinach puree just like Popeye does”. To that she told me, “I know but I don’t mind eating spinach puree as long as it has paneer with it, the white paneer, not the fried -panner which you generally tend to add in palak gravy!! Even Popeye can eat palak paneer sometimes for a change, and I think it can be much better option than the canned spinach puree”. Well I can only imagine “Popeye’ eating Palak paneer with kulcha or naan and drinking a glass full of lassi in a famous Punjabi dhaba for the time being, then smile and be happy for it.

Coming back to frittata recipe, well spinach leaves, mostly the baby spinach leaves is what I like to use in this frittata recipe, along with some chopped fresh coriander leaves, mushroom, onions, cherry tomatoes, some times even zucchini. So mix and match of the vegetables is the motto here but the base recipe remains the same. Someday try this “nonta cake” for a change as breakfast or brunch whatever suits your time.

Now to the recipe

 Spinach Mushroom Onion Frittata- 

Recipe requirements

• 100 Gms of baby spinach leaves or 1bunch of tender spinach leaves
• About 2 cups of chopped mushroom
•  1 medium size onion
• 10-12 sweet cherry tomatoes
• 1 cup of shredded cabbage 
• 1/2 cup of chopped spring onions
• 1/2 cup of chopped coriander leaves
• 1 cup of mild cheddar cheese preferably grated
• 1 tsp of red pepper powder
• 1/2 tsp of crushed red chilly flakes
• 1 tsp of dried oregano 
• 1 tsp of salt or as per taste
• 4-5 free range large eggs
• ¼ cup of self raising flour
• ¼ cup of milk
• ½ cup of cooking oil

Method

• Preheat an oven at 175 deg C.
• Chop mushroom, onions,cabbage, coriander leaves,spring onions and tomatoes roughly . Heat up a saucepan, add cooking oil just enough to sauté the vegetables. Stir/fry the vegetables for 4-5 mints .Season them with salt and red pepper powder,crushed red chilly flakes and dried oregano. Add in spinach leaves, now no need to fry them along with other vegetables, they will tend to get cooked with the heat stir/fried vegetables has. Take off the fry pan now.
• In a large mixing bowl, add in self raising flour, half of the cheese. Now whisk in eggs one by one with a spoon gently. Do not beat them. Many times I also add ricotta cheese when I am short of cheddar cheese or use both in combination.
• Now fold in the fried vegetables and eggs flour cheese mixture gently. At this time if it becomes sticky, then add milk just enough so that you can mix well all.
• Now prepare a rectangular baking pan or any deep dish suitable for oven baking, grease some oil over it now transfer the entire contents of vegetable flour eggs cheese mixture to baking pan.
• Sprinkle generous amount of left-over cheddar cheese or Parmesan cheese what ever cheese you like on top.
• Bake it for 25-30 mints or till a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in to the middle of this frittata or the frittata is well set.Please check your own oven settings and make of the oven for proper baking.

Note-

Usually in spongy and  light frittata recipes, flour is not added but I tend to add flour to it, to make it even more filling and dense. This has been part of our weekend brunch menu for quite a long time; vegetables do keep on changing though, many times only made with onions and potatoes. Many times I don’t saute the vegetables if I am running short of time and patience.

Generally in breakfast other than eggs we don’t eat meat or chicken, but grilled chicken pieces or chicken kebabs or if  people who like meat, then meat pieces can also be added to make it even more filling and delicious. It can be made as part of dinner menu as well or can even be divided into edible portions and served as starters in get-together also. Options to make frittata remain limitless, and this can be a great way of incorporating any left-over recipes as well.

Other Breakfast recipes/ideas  here-

Eggles Walnut Dates Bread

Pear Pancake

Matar Kachori and Chana ki sabzi

Yogurt and Cereal

Banana pancake

Porota and aloor torkari

Happy Cooking Friends