Tuna and Mushroom Torta/Frittata

In the Philippines, what's known as Frittata to Italians is what we call Torta. I grew up with my mom cooking torta of all sorts....from chicken, fish, canned sardines, crabs, eggplant to the most common ground beef or pork and canned corned beef. Most of the time, she would cook it for breakfast to make use of dinner leftovers. During Holy Week, torta made with either canned sardines or tuna is what we could expect on our table. My brother and I loved eating it with lots of ketchup over a plate of hot fried rice. Hmmmm...that's so good! I love it more when my mom cooked the torta over banana leaves. For me, the added aroma from the banana leaves was heavenly! I remember asking her why she loves cooking it over banana leaves...well, she said she's just doing it to easily flip the torta. :)

Nowadays, when I cook Torta, I cook it more like the Italian Frittata-style...I add cheese to it, and to cook the top, I usually broil it in the oven for a few minutes instead of flipping it. I have had a bad experience with flipping torta, so broiling is the best option for me. :)

Just like me, my daughters were introduced to eating torta from an early age...and yes, they love it! This Tuna and Mushroom Torta is one of their faves. As I've mentioned before, they both love mushrooms...so this is something they just couldn't resist. 

For this torta, I used canned tuna with vegetables (because that's all I had in the pantry) but you can use any canned tuna you have. Just drain it and it will work just fine. You can also use leftover fried or grilled tuna or any other fish. Just flake and use about a cup of it. If you are not a big fan of mushrooms, you can replace it with carots, peas, green beans, corn kernels or whatever will satisfy your taste buds. That's the best thing about torta / frittata you know! It will surely be tasty, no matter what you put in it! :)

Ingredients:
Yield one 10" frittata, 1.25" thick

• 2 cans tuna, drained
• 1½ cup mushrooms, chopped
• ½ cup onions, minced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 15 pcs. cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese (You can also use Parmesan, Mozarella or even Cheddar Cheese)
• 6 eggs
• 1/3 cup fresh milk
• salt and pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Parsley flakes for garnish

Instructions:

1. Beat eggs then add milk, salt, ground black pepper and ½ cup of the cheese, and continue beating until well combined. Set aside.

2.In a skillet over medium heat, saute onions, garlic and mushrooms in 1 Tbsp olive oil for a minute. Add tuna and tomatoes. Saute until well combined with the other ingredients. Pour mixture into the beaten eggs and mix until well combined.

3. Pour egg-tuna mixture into a 10" skillet over medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the sides of the frittata are set. Turn the heat to medium low and continue cooking  for 20 minutes while occasionally running a spatula underneath the sides of the frittata so the uncooked eggs run to the underside. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Continue cooking until the cheese are melted. To finish off the frittata, you may invert it onto another skillet and continue cooking for 5 minutes, or place the skillet in a preheated oven at 400°F and broil for about 3 minutes or until well set and slightly golden brown. Remove from heat. Garnish with parsley.

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