Tortilla Española
While I studied abroad in college, I decided to visit Eastern Spain for a couple of days. The most ubiquitous vegetarian option was tortilla española. Unfortunately, the slices I was served were always on the cold side of room temperature, a little hard because they were cooked hours beforehand, and generously sprinkled with paprika as an excuse for their mediocrity.
I hadn't had tortilla española since, until Hurricane Irene passed through New York. Dave was in full emergency mode, duct taping things shut, and filling up our bathtub and every other receptacle in the house with tap water. He also insisted that we cook everything in our fridge. All I wanted to do was watch Edward Scissorhands and take a nap. But he looked so busy and earnest, I couldn't not help him.
Our perishable items were eggs, butter, and potatoes (these are not really perishable; we could always save them to grow a victory garden after the zombie apocalypse). Anyway, all the grocery stores were closed, so we needed the simplest recipe possible. And what we found turned out to be absolutely delicious!
45 minutes – serves 6
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ¼ pounds red bliss potatoes, sliced 1/8 inch thick
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
salt and freshly ground pepper
8 large eggs
1. Preheat the broiler. Heat ¼ cup of the olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet. Add the potato and onion slices, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the potatoes and onion are tender but not browned, about 15 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Scrape the potato mixture into the bowl, being sure not to leave any in the skillet.
3. Return the skillet to the heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the egg mixture, spreading it out in an even layer. Cover and cook over low heat until the tortilla is set on the bottom and the edges, about 10 minutes.
4. Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil 8 inches from the heat just until the top is set, about 1 minute longer.
5. Set a large plate over the skillet and carefully invert the tortilla onto the plate. Let stand for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
Note: The tortilla can stand at room temperature for 3 hours before serving.
from Mario Batali
I hadn't had tortilla española since, until Hurricane Irene passed through New York. Dave was in full emergency mode, duct taping things shut, and filling up our bathtub and every other receptacle in the house with tap water. He also insisted that we cook everything in our fridge. All I wanted to do was watch Edward Scissorhands and take a nap. But he looked so busy and earnest, I couldn't not help him.
Our perishable items were eggs, butter, and potatoes (these are not really perishable; we could always save them to grow a victory garden after the zombie apocalypse). Anyway, all the grocery stores were closed, so we needed the simplest recipe possible. And what we found turned out to be absolutely delicious!
45 minutes – serves 6
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 ¼ pounds red bliss potatoes, sliced 1/8 inch thick
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
salt and freshly ground pepper
8 large eggs
1. Preheat the broiler. Heat ¼ cup of the olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet. Add the potato and onion slices, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until the potatoes and onion are tender but not browned, about 15 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Scrape the potato mixture into the bowl, being sure not to leave any in the skillet.
3. Return the skillet to the heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the egg mixture, spreading it out in an even layer. Cover and cook over low heat until the tortilla is set on the bottom and the edges, about 10 minutes.
4. Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil 8 inches from the heat just until the top is set, about 1 minute longer.
5. Set a large plate over the skillet and carefully invert the tortilla onto the plate. Let stand for 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature.
Note: The tortilla can stand at room temperature for 3 hours before serving.
from Mario Batali
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