SUMMERTIME Q&A: TORTILLA ESPAÑOLA

(Yes, it's disgustingly wet and cold outside, but I'm gathering these from all my old emails, and apart from the tomatoes - which you shouldn't even go near until July - this would be fine today.)

> Hi Mom,

> CSA [community-supported-agriculture] question - we have a lot of eggs and potatoes, we also

> have cauliflower, kohlrahbi, swiss chard, onions and asiago cheese.  We wanted to make a tortilla 

> espanola - can you send us a rough recipe and which of the above items could go in it?

 

                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                       (Nice job, Lena!)

Really any of the items there could go into a tortilla espanola, but you probably want just 2 or 3.  Classic ones would be:  potatoes, onions, and chard.  Nice!!

So, for 2 people (or a 9" pan - do you have a cast iron or nonstick frying pan? You would need one of those.  I tried doing this once without and it was a disaster. If you don't, borrow mine.)

·         1 large onion

·         2 medium potatoes

·         1 bunch chard

·         6 eggs

For the chard - wash it first, and you'll probably want to cut the leaves away from the stems and then slice them.

Slice the onions; peel and cut the potatoes into 3/4" dice.

Put some olive oil in the pan - first saute the sliced onions and chard stems together - add the chard leaves after about 5 minutes.  When cooked, take them out.

Wash pan and put in more olive oil, and then saute the potatoes - brown first, and then turn heat down and cover for a while to cook them faster.  When they're soft, take them out.

Beat together 6 eggs in a bowl with some salt and pepper.  Add the cooked vegetables and stir.

Wash the pan again and put in some more olive oil and heat until it starts to smoke a little.  Stir the eggs and vegetables a bit and then pour it all in - it should sizzle.  Use a spatula to lift the edges and let more liquid go underneath - do this several times until there isn't too much liquid on top.  Then turn the heat down and cover for a few minutes.  Watch that the bottom doesn't burn.

Now - you can either flip it by turning it over with the cover on, and then sliding it back into the pan on the other side - OR - you can slide it under the broiler (about 6" away from the coils) and let the top cook that way - but WATCH it since it can burn quickly.  This just takes a few more minutes - you can cut into it to see if the middle is done.

I know that sounds complicated, but it isn't once you do it.

You could have the Asiago cheese with bread as a second course.  If you have tomatoes, you could just slice them and put a little olive oil and vinegar and salt on them for a salad.

Can I come over?