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Tortilla Espanola

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A delicious tortilla española can solve any woe…..

Tortilla Espanola

Tortilla Espanola

I think it was in Barcelona sometime around autumn of 2005 when we stumbled upon our favorite tapa bar near the Picasso Museum. When I say stumbled, I mean literally. We had just finished drinking in the wonder of the various works of Picasso which hung in a small, wooden building with old crooked windows and shutters that still worked to shade the sunbeams whose dance threatened the very livelihood of some his greatest pieces.

I am not sure if we were so awestruck by the expanse of his repertoire or we dallied so long through the maze of paintings being transported and lost in both time and space or maybe it was both because when we submerged it was evident we had blissfully forgotten to handle the groaning of our hungry stomachs.

Problem? Shouldn’t be, after all we are in the pulse of Barcelona, gastronomy heaven and tapa bar paradise. But WHERE we were was in Europe and they don’t thrive on “oras continuas” and allow a few famished tourists to break a thousand-year old tradition called “siesta”. Yes, that’s correct, siesta; the fabulous mid-day break for 3 hours where all things “stop” and everyone curls up inside to digest their mid-day feast and refurbish their soul. This wonderful “tradition” happened to slip past the dazed minds of a couple of foreign travelers.

Despite the numerous eateries within a small radius, our luck was outweighed by the tug of the 2 o’clock hour and weary proprietors who were noshing on delicacies before drifting off in slumber.

I think it was the last window we peered in while testing the door in hopes we might magically discover an unlocked entrance and an array of treats. As we glanced around the restaurant our eyes locked with the elderly lady inside who was making her way to a solo table with a tray of tapa delights. Her eyes softened with a motherly instinct and she waved her crooked hand and summoned us to enter through the side door. There wasn’t a moment of hesitation as we rushed around the building and entered the small, rustic restaurant.

We gladly sat down and breathed a sigh of relief as her daughter brought us a carafe of house sangria and a basket of fresh bread. The grandmother had disappeared but only to remerge shortly with round, flat shaped delight which at first glance somewhat resembled some sort of soufflé with fresh oregano, a few olives, and a side of a bright orange-red sauce. I had no idea what this mystery plate was and the hunger pains were overriding my normal interrogation of curiosity. Instead I was affixed on her methodical slicing into perfect wedges and finishing with a dollop of sauce and a handful of olives.

I nodded my head in deep gratitude and sliced my fork through what I could see of layers of thinly sliced potatoes and onions encased in a baked egg mixture. My mouth was watering as I could smell the aroma of this intriguing dish. As I allowed my senses to distinguish all the flavors inside my mouth, first savory and then a hint of smoke and then slight sweetness from the sauce, the subtle textures made up a perfect harmonic bite.

I opened my eyes and glanced at the elderly woman who stood so proudly as the creator of this dish and the answer to our hungry woes. I smiled and said from the depths of gratitude, “Gracias, signora, gracias”, I think the pleasure on my face said how deep it went…..

I’ll never forget my first tortilla espanola from the heart of my new Spanish friend.

Tortilla Espanola
 
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Author:
Cuisine: Spanish
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
  • 6 - Yukon Potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 - Sweet Onions, thinly sliced
  • 7 - Large Eggs, whisked
  • Olive Oil
  • Sea Salt
  • Fresh Ground Black Pepper
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. In a oven-proof casserole dish, add potatoes and toss with a generous amount of olive oil (these are going to "poach" in the oven). Cover and cook for 20 min.
  3. In a medium sized saute pan, add some olive oil and onions. Cook until translucent and "sweet" (don't caramelize). Remove from stove and add to potatoes, re-cover and cook another 20 minutes. Remove and cool to room temp. Fold in egg mixture and season with salt.
  4. In another medium sized sauté pan, line with parchment paper and heat on high for a couple minutes. Add potato/egg mixture and reduce to medium heat. Cook until firm and set, about 15-20 minutes. Make sure bottom browns but not burns.
  5. Turn oven to high broil and add sauté pan and broil for 5 minutes or until golden spots form on top. Remove from oven and invert onto a platter and remove parchment paper. Cool to room temperature, slice and serve with romesco sauce.

Tortilla Espanola

Classic Valencia Paella

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Madrid Spain is one of my favorite cities in the world. Cosmopolitan and full of history, outstanding museums and sites, and INCREDIBLE FOOD (the male flamenco dancers are pretty amazing too but we will leave that for another post :)!!!

The coolest thing about the Spanish is that they start their day at about 10, stop for lunch around 1, siesta from 2-4, work from 4-8, and then their evening begins. They adore being out and about, young and old, it doesn’t matter. It is SO refreshing to see kids playing in the streets while the parents visit and take in a meal or a stroll. I totally dig it.

Typically, they don’t just hit a restaurant for dinner although, that may be slowly changing with the influx of tourism but instead, start out by “tapa-hopping”. This is so awesome….they go to a local tapa bar, order a sangria or drink of choice, pick a tapa or two (small appetizers), share with friends and then off to the next spot. This goes on till about 10 or 11 when it comes time to gather at a restaurant for the main course. After this, dancing till 2 or 3……gotta love it!

On my first night in Madrid, we decided to try this ritual; I mean, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do, right?” Plus we are suckers for trying whatever is new and part of the culture. Anyway, we made it through with flying colors for the first 4-tapa stops and I am thinking “seriously, this rocks, I must have been a Spaniard in my last life!” Partying for 6 hours every night? What????

Time came for the main course and our hotel concierge led us to the direction of paella, the infamous rice dish of Spain. We pranced off to the hot spot only to be stopped about a block away with a line of giddy and hungry patrons. We asked the group in front of us if this was “normal” or should we try another place less busy? They looked at one another and giggled, I am sure thinking….AMERICANS, and answered back that all of Madrid comes out at night so hunker down and grab another sangria! NICE!! I can follow directions…

Another 2 sangrias and we finally made it into the restaurant to be seated at a cozy table bustling with laughter and pan after pan of mouth-watering paella. We were salivating!

We perused the menu consisting of 50+ varieties of paella, each one made to order, and realized we probably still were at least an hour away from chow time and it was nearing midnight. It wasn’t helping that the flowing glasses of sangria throughout the tapa bars and in line were finally catching up to me and my eyes were getting so heavy that it felt like someone was standing on the lids. Great, I see it now, the paella comes and I fall face first into it, what a rock star partier. Pathetic.

I managed to somehow stay awake and sober up and when the paella was presented to us, we were ready to devour! We stayed classic and ordered the Valencia paella, laced with chorizo, chicken, seafood, veggies, and topped with huge mussels and clams. Not only did it look delicious it was a culinary art piece. It was colorful and carefully crafted and each piece of food was meticulously placed in a methodical order, it was amazing…no wonder it took an hour, it was worth it and we hadn’t even taken a bite. We look at each other and decided if it tastes as good as it looks, we are moving in.

It did and more. We finished it all, it was 2am and dancing would have to wait.

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Classic Valencia Paella
 
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This is one of my all time favorite dishes to cook for a party along with a bunch of tapas and the evening can carry on as though we are on the streets of Spain. Cava On!
Author:
Recipe type: Entree
Cuisine: Spanish
Serves: 10
Ingredients
  • 10 cup Paella Pan
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • ½ ounce saffron (about 8 threads)
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ⅛ tsp black pepper
  • 2 red bell peppers
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 10 skinless chicken thighs cut in thirds
  • ¾ lb pound Spanish chorizo sausage
  • 1½ pounds med-sized shrimp (raw)
  • 1 pound sea scallops cut in thirds
  • 3 cloves garlic chopped
  • 1 med sweet onion chopped
  • ½ tsp turmeric
  • 2 cups arborio or bomba rice
  • ½ cup white wine (Sauvignon blanc preferred)
  • 4 med ripe tomatoes (cut in half, grate, and discard the skin)
  • 2 tsp sweet paprika
  • 25 mussels or clams
  • ½ cup peas, fresh or frozen
  • Lemon wedges for garnish
Instructions
  1. Heat chicken stock on stove in large pot with saffron, salt and pepper. Steep on low heat until adding it to paella.
  2. Roast peppers under broiler until charred on all sides, remove and put in plastic bag to steam, about 5 to 10 minutes. Remove and gently peel, remove seeds and veins. Slice in strips and set aside.
  3. In paella pan, either on stove, barbecue, or paella burner, add olive oil until somewhat hot. Add chicken and cook until 80 percent done. Add a little salt and pepper to start building flavor. Remove and cover. Add sausage in same oil until flavor is distiller into oil. Remove and save. Add shrimp and cook until there is color. Remove and cover. Add scallops and cook till translucent. Add a little oil if needed.
  4. In same oil add garlic for about 20 seconds and then onion. Add a little salt and pepper. Stir until translucent.
  5. Take measured rice and create well, add turmeric and spread over onion and garlic. Add grated tomato and paprika and stir. Now this is all being flavored with ingredients that went into oil, flavor will flow into rice as paella cooks. Cook this for 3 minutes. Add wine and stir. Raise temp underneath pan for a couple of minutes and then add stock, stir. Turn heat down until liquid has mixed well with other ingredients.
  6. Start putting in chicken and mussels or clams, spread evenly. Add sausage, shrimp, and scallops the same way.
  7. Observe at rate liquid is absorbing the rice, if too watery at beginning, fine. You want low simmer so paella cooks evenly.
  8. Cover with foil and simmer for about 45 minutes. DON'T STIR!
Notes
ADDITIONAL TIPS:
DRY VS MOIST
The paella can stay moist for about 20 minutes, if left too long on fire, it will dry. A lot of Spaniards like it crusty on bottom and some soupy, you choose.
FINISHING TOUCHES
Just 5 minutes before done, put on bell peppers and peas. Place decoratively for color. Place on table and eat out of pan or buffet style and serve with lemon wedges
PREPARATION
The French have a wonderful saying, mise en place, meaning to have everything in place and chopped, cleaned, and ready.
SEAFOOD
Keep clams or mussels closed and cold before using them by immediately running them under cold water and washing them when you return from store. Use a wire mesh colander. Place a large plate underneath and put in fridge with a wet cloth over them, this keeps them moist and breathing. You want the shells closed, they will open during cooking. If they don't, throw them away.
SUBSTITUTIONS
You may substitute other shellfish and various vegetables to match to your liking be creative!!!
SHOPPING TIPS:
Shopping can be done 2 days ahead for all ingredients except for chicken and seafood, purchase these the same day you cook paella. It is essential to use arborio or bomba rice, other types don't hold up to cooking.

Oven Roasted Lemon Potatoes

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Anytime I have something at a restaurant, someone’s home, a food truck, a festival, or wherever, I spend a RIDICULOUS amount of time working at recreating the dish…. how can I wait until the NEXT time?? Seriously? Anyone relate to this? I almost have to take a 2-week vacation JUST to perfect my newest obsession….. I mean who needs to work anyway? It’s completely overrated compared to satisfying my inner addict.

So these little gems came my way via our monthly getaways to Los Angeles back in early 2000. We used to fly out once a month for my schooling but really I think it was just an excuse to eat chicken wings in our hotel room while watching Jerry Springer, dancing till all hours of the night, shopping until we drop, giggling endlessly over great sushi, and launching out at crazy hours to find the latest “hot spots” to savor the dishes and hopefully catch a glimpse or two of a star.

Whatever it was, it didn’t matter because we had the ride of a lifetime doing adventure. We still miss it and this dish takes me back to one of the many late night launches ……

I can’t remember the name of the mom and pop Greek place where we discovered these but I do remember the food and the couple. They were great. First generation immigrants from Santorini and they shared their stories with us all the while they just brought dish after dish of their families best kept secrets.

So you ask, why lemon potatoes? Why not baklava or lamb solvalki? Or the perfect gyro? Really, lemon potatoes? It’s NOT rocket science girlfriend.

Okay, I get it BUT, mastery came into need when perfecting the marinade and the cooking, they needed to have the flavor and be able to “crisp up” just like they were cooked with more oil. I KNEW that if I ate these babies as much as I was planning, I needed to find a bit healthier balance instead of ringing myself of oil each time I finished. Don’t get me wrong, they are awesome but finding a better balance helped me be able to justify the deliciousness and still fit into my newest threads that were purchased on the same trip.

So enjoy the “skinny” lemon potatoes! Have a good time changing up the herbs to fit your style and go ahead and indulge, I promise your fashion self will thank you!

Just don’t confess to the mom and pop I got inspiration from, I’m sure I have committed a Greek sin having altered the recipe. 🙂

Oven Roasted Lemon Potatoes
 
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I have made them with various herbs, parsley, oregano, cilantro, rosemary, tarragon, and the list goes on. It could be fun to try some spices as well, cumin, smokey paprika…Just be sure to watch the potatoes as they cook so that the liquid doesn't "dry" out at the bottom, add little bit more chicken broth as needed but watch they don't get "soggy" or "too wet".
Author:
Recipe type: Side Dish
Cuisine: Greek
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
  • 3 lbs yukon gold potatoes or 3 lbs other waxy potatoes, peeled
  • ½ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • ⅛ cup olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • ¼ cup fresh oregano or any herb/spice of choice
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • 2 cups chicken stock plus more if needed
Instructions
  1. Peel potatoes and cut them in half (from medium size potatoes, quarter if large).
  2. Let them stand in water while preparing sauce.
  3. Combine all other ingredients in a gallon size"zipper" bag, and shake to combine.
  4. Dry off the potatoes, and put all of them in the bag and let marinate for 2 hours.
  5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  6. Put the potatoes and marinade in a large casserole, approximately 13 x 9.
  7. Roast for 1hr 10min, turning occasionally.