Basics
Tortilla - Spanish Omlette
By m.p. - Jul 11, 2007 - 8:08 PM
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Possibly the most internationally-known of all the dishes typical of Spain, the Spanish omelette, or tortilla as it’s called in Spanish, is a thick, round potato omelette, cooked over a slow flame, which can be eaten either hot or cold, and is often served as a tapa in bars.
Variations abound, with other types of vegetable replacing the potato, or indeed, being added to it – any vegetable that takes kindly to shallow frying can be used. The most popular version, however, is the basic one of eggs, potato and olive oil.
Peel around one kilo of potatoes, and either chop them into small pieces or slice them very finely. Gently heat approximately 50 ml of olive oil in a medium-sized frying pan (a specially-designed tortilla pan is useful for the job), and add a finely-chopped medium onion, if you choose to use it. Leave the onion to sauté on a low heat until soft.
The potatoes go in next, again on a very gentle heat. Stir them frequently with a wooden spatula, without letting them brown.
Once the potatoes are cooked right through, transfer them to a bowl containing 5-6 beaten eggs. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
In the meantime, wash out and dry your frying pan, adding new oil for the next stage – the tortilla runs the risk of burning if you fail to do so. Warm the pan again on the stove.
Pour the egg and potato mixture back into the pan and cook gently, using the spatula around the edges as it cooks, and moving the pan back and forth slightly now and again to stop the tortilla sticking.
The tricky stage for some comes when the eggs are firm and it’s time to turn your tortilla. If you’re not lucky enough to have managed to get hold of a tortilla pan, do as most Spaniards do and use a plate.
Place the plate – which must obviously be the same size or a little larger than the frying pan – upside down on top of the pan. (It’s sensible to do this over the sink). Placing your hand in the centre of plate to keep it in place, carefully invert the pan and the plate, so that the tortilla is now resting on the plate.
Wash, dry and reheat the pan again, with a little more oil, and then carefully slide the tortilla back into the pan to complete cooking. Remove from the heat and leave to sit in the pan for another 5 minutes.
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