Tortilla Española
Right off the bat, I cannot take credit for this recipe.
My wonderful grandmother has taught me well. My grandparents are Cuban immigrants but both have very rich life experience in Spain. My Abuela was born in Spain and moved to Cuba as a young girl. My Abuelo’s extended family has also lived in Spain for a long time, although he was born in Cuba. All that to say, my family’s cooking has been deeply influenced by Spanish recipes.
Most of the Spanish foods from my childhood are still today some of my absolute comfort foods. They remind me of my grandparents each time I make them and give me an excuse to call them. One of my favorites is the tortilla. Tortilla is something I grew up eating because my grandmother would make it for lunch at her house. I remember the first time I ate it was in Spain at a relatives house. I remember being skeptical, because I was a child, so I was skeptical of a lot of foods. My grandmother encouraged me to take a bite. I have loved it ever since, and I distinctly remember it being all my younger brother would eat on that trip! It is so simple and so delicious with just a few ingredients, all of which you may have on hand right now! The ingredients are: potatoes, eggs, onion, garlic, olive oil, salt and black pepper. Thats it. It is also a one pan meal, which sweetens the pot even more.
The first step is to do a shallow pan fry on the potatoes. These need to cook about 10-15 minutes depending on what kind of potato you are using and how small you dice them. Once these are cooked, you add onions and garlic and allow to cook a bit longer, until the onions are translucent. You should be adding salt and pepper the whole way. I’ve seen variations with other spices, but thats not how my grandmother makes it and it really doesn’t need it if you ask me!
Once everything is cooked off, add your scrambled eggs.
Now, don’t mess with the ingredients too much. It’s ok if they’re not perfectly even, but you don’t want to end up with a scramble.
You can cover it as you cook to cook more fully. Once this looks mostly cooked except for the very top layer, use a plate to help you flip it to cook the other side. Then transfer to a cutting board, cut and serve.
Enjoy! This is simple, delicious and hearty. To me, it feels like Tito & Tita’s house, but to you it might just be a delicious meal, and thats ok! However you enjoy this, clink your glasses with a genuine “¡Salud!”
Tortilla Española
Ingredients:
- 1 large Spanish onion
- 4-5 tbsp Olive Oil
- 5-7 Small red potatoes
- 8 Eggs, scrambled
- 4-5 cloves Garlic
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Chop potatoes into small cubes. I like to do about 1/4 inch cubes. Preheat a large shallow skillet on medium low heat. Add olive oil to pan and once oil is hot, add potatoes to fry with some salt and pepper.
- While potatoes fry, dice onions and peel garlic, adding additional salt and pepper if you feel necessary.
- Once potatoes have fried to cooked, add onion to the mix and let cook until onions are translucent. While these cook, scramble 8 eggs. Once onions are ready, press and add garlic.
- Turn heat to low, spread out all ingredients evenly around the pan and add scrambled eggs. Don't move them around too much. This is not a scramble, or even an omelette. The tortilla should cook most of the way through without touching it.
- Once the tortilla looks cooked, except the top layer, use a plate to flip the tortilla in the pan and cook the other side.
- Slice like a pizza and serve! My preference is to serve with a salad and some nice Spanish wine. Enjoy!
