Maria Nasir“Like all magnificent things,it’s very simple”.
Natalie Babbitt
Weekend brunch is a big event at our place. Not ‘big’ in a sense that we invite the whole neighbourhood or near and distant relatives to come eat with us every Saturday but ‘big’ in a way that we look forward to making something yummy and eating it together. If the weather permits we take our food up to the roof top or out in the lawn to make a little picnic at home.
This time I was so tired after extensive Eid cooking that I left the weekend brunch preparation entirely to my girls. And they come up with two very yummy dishes to my delight. One made Potato Cheese Patties and the other baked a beautiful golden and spicy Jalapeño Cheese Frittata. We were a bit overloaded on cheese but who cares since “cheese makes everything taste better”, right!
Once you teach the kids how to make a good frittata, consider half the battle of survival is won! As frittatas can amazingly versatile, you can encourage them to use their imagination and add whatever ingredients are available in the fridge and pantry to create their own version. I usually make mine with mixed vegetables, left over dry curries, roasted chicken or cooked minced meat. What pleasantly surprised me in my daughter’s version was the cheese and jalapeño topping. Most probably we shall always bake frittata like that from now on because it tasted simply divine.
So this is the story of our little family brunch/picnic at home. What have you planned for family fun this weekend?
Ingredients:
6 eggs
1 cup peas, frozen or fresh
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, sliced
A handful parsley or coriander leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup pickled jalapeños
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Red chilli flakes to taste
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
This Is What You Do:
Preheat oven at 175 degrees C.
Heat butter in an oven proof six inch frying pan on medium low heat. Add cumin seeds and peas. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
Add mushrooms and onions, continue to sauté another 2-3 minutes or till the peas are half done. Season lightly with salt, pepper and red chilli flakes ( lightly because we are going to season the eggs too).
Beat eggs in a bowl till fluffy. Season with salt, pepper and red chilli flakes. Stir in chopped coriander/parsley.
Bake for 12-15 minutes or till the frittata puffs up and begins to turn golden on the top.
Remove from oven, sprinkle cheese and jalapeños on top. Bake again for another 4-5 minutes or till the cheese is melted and crusty.
Cut into wedges like pizza. Serve warm with toasted bread or fresh salad.
Serves 2