Tuesday, May 27, 2003

It must be one of the foremost paradoxes of cooking that the more oil you use sometimes, the less greasy the finished product turns out. Or is that just science? I thought I knew how to make a great Tortilla Espanola (aka Tortilla de Patatas or Spanish Omelette).  The Ballymaloe Cooking School Cookbook has shown me I was wrong.  (Here I go again, trusting the Irish with Latin food.) The tortillas I’ve made in the past were pretty good.  I ate them, even though there was always the underlying sense that they were a bit too greasy.  I was forever trying to find ways to use less oil and the less oil I used, the more the potatoes sucked up every last bit of it. So, while reading the recipe for Tortilla de Patatas from the above cookbook, I was intrigued to read ". . .the secret to making the tortilla is to use enough oil".  The recipe called for at least an inch in the frying pan.   Glug, glug, glug. . .that's nearly a half a bottle of olive oil.  But I poured away with few misgivings, (other than economic ones), having read too, somewhere, that the secret was to sear the potatoes in plenty of oil, right off the bat, so that they wouldn't subsequently have a chance to soak up so much oil. And that’s the secret.  Well, one of the secrets, but the most important one  The other two secrets are to use the right size frying pan and to be patient, keeping the heat low so that the tortilla doesn’t turn out tough.  I'll give the recipe below because, to me, a good tortilla española is as close to food heaven as it gets.  I can't wait until I have to pack sack lunches for my little boy and can send him off with a good-size wedge of tortilla in his lunchbox. One suggestion, if you do use the recipe below, I'd recommend putting half of the salt directly onto the potatoes themselves and the other half into the egg mixture.  From the Ballymaloe Cooking School Cookbook: In Spain, you must understand, tortilla is not just a dish.  It is a way of life.  Tortillas or flat omelettes, not to confused with Mexican tortilla which is a flat bread, are beloved by Spaniards and tourists alike.  You’ll be offered them in ever home, in the most elegant restaurants, and the most  run-down establishments.  No Spanish picnic would be complete without a tortilla, and every tapas bar will have them on display.  People even eat them at the cinema!  Tortilla de Patatas sounds deceptively simple but it’s not as easy to make to perfection as you might think.  The secret of success is to use enough oil. Spanish olive oil, such as Lerida 8 ounces potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1 ½ cups) 5 ounches onions, thinly sliced (about 1 ½ cups) 8 eggs 1 tsp sea salt or kosher salt freshly ground pepper frying pan, 7-8 inch in diameter, non-stick if possible Put a generous 1 inch of olive oil into the pan, then cook the onions and potatoes over medium heat until golden.  This can take up to 20 minutes.  Drain off the oil and reserve. Whisk the eggs into a bowl, season with salt and pepper, add the potato and the onion.  Put 2 ½ tablespoons oil back into the pan.  When it begins to sizzle, pour in the egg mixture, then lower the heat.  When the egg begins to cook, loosen around the edge and continue to cook, shaking the pan occasionally. When the tortilla is well set and golden underneath, cover the pan with an oiled plate and turn the tortilla upside-down on to it, taking care not to burn your hand.  Add a little more oil to the frying pan if necessary.  Slide the tortilla back in .  Cook until the lower side is golden and the whole of it is firm but still slightly moist in the center.  Serve hot or at room temperature.  Cut into wedges or squares.   comment []9:24:28 AM

© Copyright 2003 L. L. Adams. Last update: 6/9/2003; 11:32:08 PM.