Tortilla Española

Tortilla Española and Pan con Tomate

Catalonian Cuisine

Or, you can call this the best garbage meal. I had a dozen and a half eggs from an over zealous plan to make Christmas cookies, couple pounds of potatoes from my produce share and left over french bread and random veggies from a NYE party. So what other combination could I possibly make! I learned the art of pan con tomate (or simply bread n' tomatoes) from a small restaurant in the small, medieval town of Rupit, Spain. Most modern tapas restaurnts I've been to do a fancy version where the bread is toasted, or the tomatoes are roasted, etc. However, this Catalonian version uses over ripe tomatoes and stale bread and transforms into an amazing tapa. (I highly recommend visiting Rupit if you ever find yourself in the Barcelona/ Pyrenees region with these folks: www.spanish-trails.com/)

I've  always had problems with egg dishes in the past, especially ones that involve flipping, like omelets or the tortilla española. So when I found this recipe that did not involved and flipping, I was excited but also skeptical. I thought all tortilla españolas needed to be flipped. I was wrong. This dish turned out fantastic and no flipping needed. I will never make tortilla española any other way again! This recipe is adapted from "International Cuisine" by Jenny Macveigh (Delmar, Cengage Learning, Clifton, NY, 2009).

Tortilla Española

Ingredients

3 baking potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick (mandoline slicer works great)
2-3 large shallots, thinly sliced
4 oz roasted red bell pepper, sliced thin
7 eggs
2 tsp pimentón (Spanish Paprika, hot)
salt & pepper to taste
extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Heat a oven safe saute pan (like the Le Creuset 3 1/2 qt braiser) over medium-high heat with some olive oil (enough to coat the bottom, and then some). Working in batches, pan fry the potato slices until golden brown, each side. Remove the browned potatoes with a slotted spoon, keeping most of the oil in the pan. Add more oil if necessary. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Meanwhile in a medium bowl, whisk the eggs until fluffy and stir in the pimentón and red pepper.
4. After all potatoes are browned, remove the potatoes and deglaze the pan with about 1/4 cup dry white whine and add the shallots. Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat from the stove and add shallots to egg mixture.
6. If there still is oil in the pan, do not add more. Layer the potatoes in the pan by overlapping them in concentric circles, starting at the outside of the pan and working your way in. The potatoes should yield about 3 layers.
7. Pour the egg mixture on top of the potatoes and bake for 10 minutes at 350, and then turn the oven down to 325 and finish baking for 25 minutes until the edges are golden brown and the egg mixture is set. Serve with aioli.

 

Pan con Tomate

Ingredients

1 loaf of stale french bread
1 or 2 ripe tomoates
best quality extra virgin olive oil
parmeasean cheese, optional

Method

Slice the bread on the bias. Cut the tomato in half and rub juices on the bread. Sprinkle with olive oil and cheese. Eat it. Voila! Repeat until full.

Town of Rupit, Spain