Food Friday: Tortilla Española

Yesterday got away from me, (as did most of this week:) so I didn't get this recipe from Kate (Dancing about Architecture) onto my blog, but hope you will forgive me!  It is certainly worth the wait!! I love Kate's descriptions of Spain--you will feel as though you have been there.  Once again, thank you so much, Kate, for sharing your recipes these last weeks! (Click on Food Friday to see All recipes!)

Hello everyone,

Wendy has been so kind as to let me share my recipes with you and it has been so wonderful to share some of my favorite Italian dishes with you. I love getting to know new cultures, new people and new food. I have had the privilege to get to know wonderful people and places through my travels. One place I love is Spain. I don’t know why it speaks to me, but the people are kind and friendly, they have wonderful art, a rich history and amazing places within their beautiful cities and varied countryside.

Spain is a multi-people country which means you have different cultures and even languages in different regions of the country – I guess you could call them states, though Spain doesn’t really have states. I love traveling in Spain because each region is so different from its neighbor regions. Each region also has its typical food, mainly depending on what is traditionally available within the region and what type of climate dominates it; in some you can get a lot of sea food, in others only meat, and some even mix sea food and meat in one dish.

Personally, I love Catalan food. Catalonia is the region which has Barcelona as its capital. People there do not consider themselves Spanish, even though they live in Spain, since they have their own culture, their own history and their own language. When they were still independent, before Spain became Spain as we know it today, Catalan food was famous throughout Europe and kings and queens hired Catalan chefs for their kitchens because they enjoyed the food so much. If you ever get the chance to try Catalan food, you absolutely should. I hope to find a simple dish in my notes so I will have one to share with you. The only ones I have been using would be better for a family festivity or family feast and thus are somewhat complex.

One dish that can be found pretty much all over Spain, though, is tortilla or as we probably know it the Spanish tortilla/ tortilla española. The first time I ever had tortilla was at the airport in Madrid where I was looking for a snack in between connecting flights. I liked it from the first bite. It is a simple dish and either eaten with a side salad or on baguette bread, which has already olive oil and tomato spread on it. You can also cut it up in smaller pieces and serve it as finger food or for a picnic. The best thing about a Spanish tortilla is, though, that most of you have all the ingredients at home already so it can be easily made, even on short notice.

Tortilla Española

Ingredients:

• 1 – 1.2 lb potatoes
• ½ lb onions
• 7 eggs
• 3 Tbs olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Directions:

• Peel potatoes and cut in thin slices.
• Peel onions and cut in small pieces.
• Mix potatoes and onions in a bowl and add salt and pepper.
• Heat up a pan and add some olive oil.
• Add mix and roast slow and gently with little heat until done.
• While the mix roasts, mix eggs in a bowl and add some salt.
• When the potatoes and onions are done, add them to the bowl with the eggs. (It is important to do it this way around so that the potatoes get soaked in the egg mix.)
• Mix everything well.
• Add some oil to a pan and heat at medium heat.
• Put the whole mix into the pan and roast on medium heat until the egg is done/ the omelet is light brown on the bottom (You can lift it up carefully on the sides to check).
• Turn the whole mass by switching it onto a plate.
• Add oil to the pan, then add the omelet top down (former top side now on the bottom side).
• Roast the second side until light brown.

Enjoy your meal!