Category Archives: eggs

tortilla de patatas revisited

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I had a surplus of free-range eggs today and decided to do something about it. The first thing that came to mind was to make a tortilla de patatas, which is something I don’t make often enough. So I went ahead with making one and suddenly realised… hey, this is way different to how I used to make them. A quick check on the first tortilla recipe I posted here in 2010 proved the point. I mean, both recipes are valid, but my love (and knowledge) of extra virgin olive oil has steadily increased over the years and this latest tortilla recipe shows that. My experience of other tortillas from different parts of Spain has also increased and so, without noticing, I had been adapting my tortillas at home based on different ones I’ve tried and enjoyed and I have discovered that, frankly, there are a gazillion ways of making this “simple” potato omelette.

Today’s tortilla was a bit more elaborate, mostly in the time involved. Caramalised onions, potatoes slowly “poached” in evoo… but you could also just sautée some onions and cook the potatoes more quickly in less oil by covering them with a lid. Up to you. Unlike some tortilla purists out there, I really don’t think there is a “wrong” way of making a tortilla de patatas other than it MUST be flipped. If you finish it in the oven or under a grill it’s a frittata. Sorry, them’s the rules. Anyhow this is how I did it today and omg it was so good.

Update: I’ve added an extra “trick” of using extra yolks. Apparently it’s what all the bars and restaurants in Santiago do.

Ingredients and instructions below…
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potato straw tortilla

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Not exactly health food, but if you fancy a quick tortilla without having to cook potatoes, you can substitute these shoestring ones. You can also leave out the onions if you want this to be extra quick. There are several versions of potato crisp/chip tortillas out there, including one that was apparently made famous by Ferran Adrià, but I find that the potato straws stay a bit crunchier after cooking, which I like.

Ingredients and instructions below…
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migas

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migas

Traditionally migas (literally: bread crumbs) was a peasant’s or shepherd’s dish, a tasty way to use up stale bread using little more than some garlic, olive oil, and whatever bits of meat or charcuterie happened to be about. At casa az, migas has turned out to be a great way to use up the bread scooped out of crusty loaves when making pan cristal (more on that later) and then fed to skinny flatmate who always needs to “carb up”. Obviously there are loads of variations on what can go into migas, as well as various ways of preparing it. What I’ve done, as usual, is look up a few different recipes and then make something that looks good to me, though on this occasion I *almost* burnt the garlic and onions… so try not to do that.

Ingredients and instructions below…

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spinach & garbanzos with fried eggs

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garbanzos and spinach

The other day I had a bag of fresh baby spinach that needed using up so I had a quick look online for some “spinach and egg” inspiration and found this, which as it turns out is a typical Spanish dish. I hadn’t planned on making a stew, let alone something with garbanzos, but this looked interesting and so after a few adjustments to the recipe I’d found I decided this would make a nice meal. And it was! I used chicken broth but you can swap that for veggie broth if you want a vegetarian dish. Serves two but just double the recipe for more people or to have some tasty leftovers the next day.

Ingredients and instructions below…

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how to peel hard-boiled eggs without peeling

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[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN2gYHJNT3Y&feature=relmfu”]

A while back I posted a video that showed us how to peel a head of garlic in less than 10 seconds (still haven’t tried that one). And now… well, I’m sure you’ve read the title. Though I’m thinking this is only a good method if you are peeling (without peeling) an egg for yourself. You’ll see why.

huevos rotos

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Huevos rotos (literally “broken eggs” in Spanish) is a very traditional dish with many variations, but all including perfectly crispy fried eggs with soft yolks and fried potatoes. The ones you see below include jamón and chorizo Ibérico, caramalised onions and shaved truffle. The one you see above is my first attempt at making this at home. I used chorizo criollo and added some pimentón piquante as my favourite version so far (from Vineria San Telmo) includes spicy chorizo with lots of pimentón inside, which blends perfectly with the hot egg yolk and fried potatoes.

I served it with a tomato and spring onion salad, both of which are just coming into season now, and it was a great side dish that added a fresh touch and balanced the meal out quite nicely.

[huevos rotos at Gusto Ristobar, Vineria San Telmo & El Gallinero de Sandra]

Ingredients and instructions below…

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tortilla-style pasta frittata

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Today I was going to make a tortilla de patatas for my flatmate (really, you want to be my flatmate!) and then saw that there weren’t any potatoes in the house. So then I thought that I would try making a tortilla with pasta instead, which of course is a frittata. Which I have never made before.

Except I didn’t want to have to bother with turning on the oven and all that.

So I decided to try making a frittata but “tortilla-style”. Which means that instead of popping the frittata into the oven when it’s partially cooked, I would flip it and finish cooking it in the pan. And I think it turned out really well.

One day I’ll try a proper frittata, but this is a great option for people who either don’t have an oven or, like me, can’t be bothered to use it most of the time. It’s also a great way to use up left-over pasta.

Ingredients and instructions below…

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rice salad

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This is a very simple dish that’s perfect for summer snacking as it will keep well in the fridge for at least 2-3 days. It’s also quite versatile, kind of like a risotto, in that the ingredients can be changed to suit personal tastes, including leaving out the tuna for a nice vegetarian option. This was originally made for me by a friend using only mayonnaise, but I find “salsa az” much lighter, though for this salad I leave out the garlic.

Instructions below the links.

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