I need to make a breakfast entree for our office "bake out" (about 30 persons)and wanted to share my favorite morning snack that I enjoyed in many "bars" in Northern Spain.Any special technique or ingredients I should know about?In homes, is this dish presented differently or with any special accompaniments?

OK Karen,

Here it goes:

Tortilla de patatas (5-7 servings);

You need:

-A cup of olive oil
-21 ounces of sliced potatoes, or four very large ones (very thin, no more than 1.5 inches)
-4 thinly sliced onions
-3 eggs
-A pinch of salt

-A non-stick frying pan (7.9 inches diameter, 2 inches depth aprox.)
-A bowl, a fork, a spoon and a plate

Heat the oil in the pan, fry the potatoes & onions (one slice at a time so that they don't stick would be best), putting a lid on, but also giving them a stir from time to time, simmer for 15 minutes until they're tender and not brown.
Allow the excess of oil to drain from the potato mix, and save a tablespoon of it.
In a bowl, beat the eggs using a fork, with salt to taste; add the potato mix, blend it all with the help of a spoon.
In the same pan, heat up the oil that we'd saved; once you've spread the mixture quickly, smooth it a little bit, and lower the heat to from high to low. Shake the pan to prevent sticking, it's crucial!!
When the potatoes start to brown, and with the help of a plate, turn around and brown on the other side, you can flip it more times for better cooking....


.... :p And that is your very simple, but 'riquiiisima' TORTILLA ESPAÑOLA y OLE!!!

pim

It's trying to flip the tortilla that's the most difficult part - every single time I end up with a most unattractive mess! Any secrets for us less-coordinated folk who can't seem to make the plate trick work? :o

My ladyfriend always gets me to do the tortilla flip. It can be difficult as the pan + tortilla is rather heavy and the plate can be slippery. I can make the flip successfully 9 out of 10 times. (the 10th time the tortilla ends up falling into the sink )

I mix and flip the potato/onion/egg mixture several times quickly with a spatula just after pouring it into the pan. (Be sure the pan and the oil in it are very hot.) This gets some of the middle of the tortilla cooked right from the start. Then I cover it with a lid, turn down the heat, and wait a few minutes before flipping the whole thing with a dish. The whole thing is more likely to stay together because the middle isn't so runny. Of course, if you are among those who like your tortilla runny, this may not be the best method for you...

By this plate flipping thing do you mean you cover the pan w/the plate, flip it over on to the plate, then slide it back into the pan? If so then is a plate that is quite flat and without much of a raised ledge the best? Also, how much of the cup of olive oil do you actually have left in the pan for the cooking of the mixture? Just a well coated pan, or actually a measurable amount? and ps....thanks all,so much for the lesson!

My thoughts exactly, how about using something like a pizza pan to flip it over? (It still seems like a very precarious maneuver!)

Diana wrote: posted 12-04-2001 11:31 AM
"I mix and flip the potato/onion/egg mixture several times quickly with a spatula just after pouring it into the pan."

Can you explain a little more, Diana? When I imagine doing this, I foresee my tortilla becoming scrambled eggs. Not sure ...

There must be an olive oil thread somewhere, but just to confirm, we are referring to light olive oil, right?

(Churrito, who has been wanting to attempt this culinary feat ... and would live on take out if her spanish friends didn't prepare cenas every week)

thank you!

It's usually done with a plate....just find one with smooth edges and give yourself a few practice runs before it's expected to turn out properly .

Churrito, it's the scrambled egg idea, but you stop well before it ALL gets cooked. Since you have a lot more stuff in the pan than you would with a few scrambled eggs, you have a little more time to do it. If you do it too long, you're right, you'd have lumpy scrambled eggs! So the key is to stop mixing when it's about half-cooked and half runny. That way, when you cover it and turn down the heat, it has time to all stick together as it finishes cooking. Then flipping it is a breeze.

Light olive oil is good, but really, any type of olive oil will do the job.

Oh, I'm so hungry now for tortilla...I guess we'll just have to have some tonight for dinner!! (BTW, I made an AWESOME paella last Friday! Spanish food sure is addicting! Why eat anything else? )

[ 12-04-2001: Message edited by: Diana ]

Diana, Thanks for the instructions.
Will try in the next few days and let you know.
Puna (who seems to always end up with either scrambled eggs in the pan - or scrambled eggs in the sink)

I just made a tortilla last night!! It came out very good, but it just doesn't taste the same!!

The problem is the eggs in Spain are brighter orange, much fresher than we'd generally get here in the US. The aunt of my Spanish friend lived in the US for a while, and seems to have perfected it--if you're using 2 or 3 eggs, add an extra YOLK. (YES, it's REALLY good for your cholesterol!!), but that helps make it taste more authentic.

About the plate flipping method--if you're using a non-stick pan, you should be able to slide the tortilla out onto a plate, then use the plate to flip it back into the pan. (You avoid that first flip, and it's not as heavy if you're kind of just using the plate to flip.)

Buena suerte y buen provecho!

(I also made my very first batch of arroz con leche the other night too!! It takes hours to make, but it's well worth it!)

Thank you Diana and all for the tips. I will try to make one before I leave for Madrid and report back on "el desastre ..."

Last week I had a major atracón de tortilla. In another thread I discussed the prepackaged tortillas my friend got from an import company ... even the manager of my local watering hole, who is from Galicia and is also chef, brought some from home and treated us to a few pieces of tortilla gallega!!!

churrito

Using a flat-edged plate works well, but when you go to Spain, pick up a "gira tortilla" which is a ceramic plate with a knob/handle on the bottom for grip , it makes for easier wrist action. They come in many different painted colors and patterns, but basically works to turn the tortilla over from the pan. Works every time! I have two (I like the designs on them), one from El Corte Ingles and one from the Rastro.

Last night we served tortilla as part of an appetizer party we had for friends, and everyone was hooked. They thought is was some exotic, complicated culinary creation! Little do they know (as we do here), that the tortilla is among the most simplest, pleasurable, perfect things in the whole world!

¡Rayos! I always jump into the fun discussions late! The easiest recipe (and no line upon line of things to rememeber) is this:

One large potato per egg;
thinly slice the potatoes, fry until soft in a "bath" of olive oil;
Drain the potatoes and add the beaten eggs, stir, and throw back in the now oil-less pan.
Fry until firm, cool, place in a vacuum-sealed bag and mail to CaliBasco for taste-testing.

The final step is most important.

As far as flipping the tortilla: For those who are flip-challenged [evidenced by the crusty potato-egg film on your rangetop], I suggest a stone pizza pan to flip...it won't burn your hand, and is plenty large enough to "tapar" a frypan...¡provecho!

Thank you all for the help. My tortilla de patatas was a big hit. MM, I gave all the credit to you website, Calibasco, sorry, no leftovers. As I actually made 4 tortillas I worked with 2 fry pans. I flipped my first batch into the second fry pan and replenished the olive oil being careful to remove all scraps and started cooking the next batch of patatas in the 1st pan & so on & so on.I felt like I added an Italian flair..flipping those pans around!!I made both with and w/out onion and the w/out was gone first.

"I mix and flip the potato/onion/egg mixture several times quickly with a spatula just after pouring it into the pan."

Oh, don't do that; I hate when tortillas are done like that. It's not so difficult to flip the tortilla; it's just having a good plate to turn the tortilla.

About the "gira tortilla", it's the first time I hear it; i will have to check in el corte ingles

¿¿ Tortilla de patatas SIN CEBOLLAS?? (Tortilla without onions??!!) ¡Qué vergüenza! (How shameful!)

Someone tell me THE MOST CORRECT singular familiar term for "Tortilla Española":
1) Tortilla de patata
2) Tortilla de patatas
3) Tortilla patata

I've always heard my ladyfriend call it #3, but maybe that's a shortened version??

This thread is KILLING ME!!! (counting the days 'til my first opportunity for tortilla patata... : FIFTEEN DAYS!!)

With growling stomach, MadridMan :p

[ 12-07-2001: Message edited by: MadridMan ]

For the sake of curiosity I searched "gira tortilla" to see if it would turn up on some imported ceramics website (I had already tried Spanish ceramics and couldn't find the item).It led to a site called Magazine: Placeres with a story "Woody Y La Tortilla" which I was unable to read due to my very limited Spanish but it's something to do w/Woody Allen and it seems he may have gotten a tortilla that he didn't like at some prestigious restaurant.(You can all have a good laugh if I'm totally off on that one!!) Anyway MM, I noticed the phrase "tortilla de patatas" was mentioned. But as you say..a more colloquial style maybe drops the "de".

[ 12-07-2001: Message edited by: karenwishart ]

[ 12-07-2001: Message edited by: karenwishart ]

Nobody here in Spain call it "tortilla patata" (without de).What I am not sure is if the correct term is "tortilla de patata" or "tortilla de patatas". I will guess for "tortilla de patatas" but i am not 100% sure. It's also called tortilla española.

I say "tortilla de patata" but maybe "tortilla de patatas" is also correct. What I have never heard is "tortilla patata". To make it, I use a gira tortilla, in fact, we call "viradeira" because my father bought it in Galicia. It's a very useful ceramical plate but it's not common having it in Spanish homes. Most people just turn it with a plate or a lid.

I forgot to mention...I used Granadagirl's suggestion and added 1 large yoke for every 5 eggs and the texture and color was quite good...very substantial and held together nicely.

Hi people.

1) Tortilla de patata
2) Tortilla de patatas
3) Tortilla patata

Number 1 is correct, it means that the "tortilla" is made of "patata" (literally potatoe omelette).

Number 2 is also correct, it means that the "tortilla" is made with potatoes (literally omelette of potatoes).

Number 3 confuses me. I'm not sure it is correct. It could be correct as a coloquial and shortened version of the first two. Is an uncommon structure, noun+noun.

"Tortilla española" is also used very often (but less frequently than the first two).

There is also another famous tortilla: tortilla paisana, which has the same composition, but also small pieces of chorizo, red baked pepper and beans (guisantes).

Regards.

Fernando

Karen-

I'm glad the extra yolk worked for you! It definitely makes the color and taste a little more 'verdadero'!!

I'm very intereseted in finding out if anyone here in the states has seen a 'gira tortilla', that would be very useful and probably cause me to make the more often!!

Hasta luego!

-GG

One more flipping hint...when you first place all the ingredients in the pan, use a thin spatula to lift the edges of the tortilla as it begins to cook. That way, some of the runny eggs on top will move to the bottom, and you end up with better cooking all the way through (this from the person who insists that scrambled eggs should be "bouncy" rather than drippy!) and easier turning.

There are turning plates in lots of pottery shops in Spain (the ones I am thinking of come from the area around Talavera de la Reina)...many are painted with colorful patterns and say something along the lines of "para volver la tortilla" on them. They may seem a bit touristy, but are still fun to bring home! Those are more like a shallow bowl than a typical plate (which often has a ridge that interferes with sliding the tortilla into the pan).

Yum! I think I am having tortilla for dinner!
Tara