It's been a while since I've written a
blog post and I suppose that's a good thing since it means I was
studying hard for finals. But, now that they're over, I wanted to
post the recipe for something which is (finally) a non baked good and
Spanish. I did, after all, study in Spain for six months and take a
cooking class while there. In fact, I got the recipe for Spanish
tortilla from the cooking school we went to as a group in Madrid. The only problem is, it's only a
good recipe in terms of portions. The real reason I know the whole procedure for making them is the maid who came
to my host mom's apartment every couple of weeks. My host mom insisted they were the best so one day I decided to watch how she did it.
Since then, much
to my surprise, I've found cause for making tortilla española fairly
often. Like a large and very thick omlette made with potatoes and
eggs, the Spaniards often cut it into small slices or squares and eat
it for tapas. It is also very common for it to be made at home and
simply eaten as part of the meal. My first opportunity to make it came when my housemate, Charlie, and I prepared Spanish food. Our meal was Spanish from start to finish and consisted of paella (vegetarian and
meat), tortilla española, and arroz con leche. Then, since I am
also a Student Advisor for the Madrid Study Abroad program, my fellow
SA and I purchased tortilla española or tortilla de patata (that's
what they call it in Spain) for our cultural orientation. However,
for our final event of the quarter before the Madrid group goes
abroad for the the winter, Nick and I decided to try our hand at
making the tortilla. The results were quite good and it's not as
difficult to make as you might think. The hardest part is flipping
the tortilla (a fact Nick discovered when he dropped one on the
floor) so I would recommend using a small, very non-stick pan to
flip. Otherwise, you'll end up with tortilla on your floor or stuck
to your pan.
Tortilla de patata or Tortilla española
(Recipe translated and lightly adapted from
Cocina Cayena)
Yield: about 2-3, 9-inch tortillas
Ingredients
2.5 pounds of potatoes (brown russet potatoes
work fine for this)
8 eggs
1 onion
3 cups of extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste
pepper (optional)
Directions
1) Peel and wash the potatoes. Using
the widest opening of a box grater, grate the potatoes into thin
slices. Set aside. Next, slice the onion into thin strips.
2) Combine the potatoes, onion, and salt in a large pan and add olive oil almost to cover.
(I know, it looks like a heart stopping amount of olive oil, but
trust me, it's necessary. And besides, no one ever said this was a
healthy recipe, though I bet you didn't know it was this bad for
you!) Stirring often, allow the potatoes and onions to simmer in the
olive oil for about 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir occasionally to make sure the potatoes and onions don't stick to the pan
3) Once cooked, dump the potatoes,
onions, and obscene amounts of olive oil, into a paper-towel lined
colander to drain.
4) In a large bowl (large enough to
combine the eggs and the potato mixture) whisk 8 eggs with some
pepper to taste. Though the Spanish would never use pepper since
they can't handle even the remotest bit of spice, I like to add a
bit.
5) Add the drained potatoes a bit at a
time to the eggs, careful not to cook the eggs as the potato mixture will still be hot. Mix well.
6) In an 8 or 9 inch non-stick skillet (really make sure it's non-stick!!),
heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Swirl skillet to
coat.
7) With a ladle, add about 1/3 of the
egg and potato mixture to the pan. Stirring very slightly in the
middle (be sure not to break through the bottom layer) continue until
the egg is cooked about halfway through along the edges.
8) Using a large plate, cover the pan
and carefully but quickly flip the tortilla onto the plate. Then
very carefully slip it back into the pan, uncooked side down. Return to flame.
9) Continue cooking over low to medium
heat until it is cooked through.
10) Once it's done, slip it onto a large
plate. Make the other 1 or 2 (depending on the size of your pan) and
cut into squares or slices to serve.
