“Most of us have fond memories of food from our childhood. Whether it was our mom’s home made lasagna or a memorable chocolate birthday cake, food was a way of transporting us back to the past.” Homaro Cantu
This is one of my childhood memories!
The typical Spanish tortilla in Spain is found at every Tapas Bar and is made with egg, potato and onion and is relatively thin.
Growing up in Tampa, Florida, the immigrant Spaniards turned that tapas into a complete meal. I have fond memories of eating a thick Spanish tortilla that included Spanish chorizo accompanied by a simple salad of lettuce, tomato and avocado with an olive oil vinaigrette. You can eat this at room temperature and leftovers make a super delicious sandwich on crusty or soft bread with a little mayo.
Most of the dishes I learned to prepare as a young man was not from recipes, but from watching and listening to my mother, my father, my aunts, my grandmother. So I will guide you through some “recipes”, like this one, by explaining how it is made. You can send me feedback or ask questions if you need further help.
INGREDIENTS:
- 8 to 10 Eggs (8 if XL, 10 if L)
- 1 Spanish Chorizo (remove casing and mince)
- 8 small to medium potatoes diced (enough to fill your pan half way)
- 1 Spanish Onion (I use a med to large)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS:
As I said I don’t really have a “measured” recipe, but here is what I do.
First, I bought an inexpensive non stick 10” (3 quart) straight edged pan with a lid and I use it only for my Spanish Tortillas.
Peel and dice enough potatoes (medium to large size dice as shown in picture) to fill the pan about half way. Use one Spanish chorizo diced very small and one Spanish onion sliced or diced (your preference; I quarter them and slice them thin. I use about 8 potatoes, but that varies with the size of the potatoes.
Put enough oil to barely cover the bottom of the pan. Add the potatoes once the pan is a little hot and stir so that they are all coated with the oil. Add a little salt and pepper at this time to help sweat the potatoes. Cover and let them continue frying on a medium high heat. Lift and stir often. When the potatoes are about half done, add the onions and stir to mix the ingredients. Cover and continue cooking and again uncover and stir often. Once the onions begin to wilt, add the chorizo and stir to mix ingredients well and continue cooking until the potatoes are very tender.
While potatoes are cooking, beat 8 to 10 eggs (use 8 if you are using extra large eggs and 10 if you are using large eggs). It should be enough eggs to come just a little above your potato mixture. Add salt to the eggs and continue beating until yolks and whites are well incorporated.
Lower potatoes to simmer and add eggs so that they come slightly above the potato mixture. As the sides begin to set, using a rubber spatula, pass it along the sides and tilt the pan so that the raw eggs go to the sides. Keep doing this until you see only a small film of egg on the top. Let sit on simmer heat for a few minutes. Using a flat plate with no rim or dip, cover the pan and invert the tortilla onto the plate over the sink. You will have some wet eggs mixture that will spill out. Slide the tortilla back into the pan and using the spatula, tuck the sides of the tortilla along the pan’s rim. Let cook over that low heat until you can feel the center very firm then invert the tortilla onto your serving plate.
If I want to kick it up a notch for “company”, I will make a light manchego cheese and mushroom sauce to drizzle over the serving. Full disclosure: this is not an authentic way to serve, but I do get compliments. My wife and I are purists and like it right out of the pan with a salad.