Spanish Tortilla
Thread Starter: Mari 1 Started: Thu 30 Aug 2007 Replies: 4
After I dried my tears of laughter at the unusual method of cooking a Spanish Tortilla - I got mad! One does not fry the onions and the potatoes separately in 1.5 cm of oil - one uses a pan full of oil - preferably olive oil - and one does not break down the onions and potatoes into a brown 'mush' as described in the recipe. Black pepper is not a requirement of this dish either unless you have a particular penchant for it but the Spanish would not use it for this dish. When the potatoes and onions are cooked together until soft, leave them to cook through, perhaps turning them a couple of times carefully, remove these with a slotted spoon or spatula and drain over the pan until the oil stops seeping, then place in the beaten eggs. When cooked and sliced one should be able to see the slices of potato in the Tortilla. The preparation time is probably 10 minutes and the cooking time should take more like 20 - 30 minutes in total. I can do it in 20 but I have a lot of experience. My Mother is from Madrid and my Grandmother - from Burgos - was a professional cook. The Tortilla is a well loved family favourite made by us all. An ingredient which isn't put in by everyone is a table spoon of water added to the beaten eggs just before adding the potatoes and onions - this leaves the centre soft and the outside crispy. I have yet to see a proper Spanish Tortilla recipe published in this country - it's amazing how something so easy can be messed up by so many! 
