Spanish Anytime

Looking for a light summer breakfast, lunch or dinner? Have we got the meal for you –
Tortilla Española. You’ll find this Spanish omelet served at room temperature on tapas menus throughout Spain, but you can easily serve it right from the pan any ol time.

Potatoes give this light dish just enough satisfying heft. Potatoes and eggs are a classic Spanish combination. Oli added some chorizo sausage for a nice savory zing. Don’t expect a flattish, filled and folded omelet which is what we are used to. This is a lovely, puffy domed egg pie. It starts out for just a few minutes on the stove and then you just pop it in the oven. Yeah, I know its summer and you don’t want to heat up the kitchen. This guy is made in a 4-inch or 5-inch oven proof pan, so it fits quite nicely in the toaster oven.

While it’s baking to golden brown deliciousness you can slice up a fennel bulb to make a crisp, refreshing salad accompaniment. Parsley, capers, a little anchovy, splashed with some quality extra virgin olive oil (Spanish if you have it) and a bit of vinegar and you’ve got yourself a little taste of Spain.  This salad keeps well, so you can prepare it ahead of time and keep it chilled until ready to serve.

You can vary the ingredients depending on what’s in your pantry/fridge. Remember that Serrano ham from Oli’s summer salad? Toss it in instead of the chorizo. Got some peppers from the garden? Dice them and add a tablespoon’s worth.

Tortilla Española says simple Spanish comfort food. We hope you enjoy.

Tortilla Española

Makes 1 omelet

1/4 cup of thinly sliced onion
3 teaspoons butter
2 small eggs
1 tablespoon cream
1/4 cup boiled low starch potatoes, cut into small cubes
2 tablespoons (4 slices) of finely chopped chorizo
salt and white pepper

4-inch or 5-inch ovenproof blini pan

Preheat oven to 400F
1. Melt 2 teaspoons of the butter over medium high heat.  Toss in onions and cook until translucent and slightly golden.
2.  Crack the eggs into a small bowl, add cream and beat with a fork until pale yellow.
 
3.  Mix onions, potatoes and chorizo into egg mixture until well distributed.  Season with salt and pepper.

4.  Melt the remaining butter in the blini pan over medium high heat.  Pour omelet mixture into pan.  It will fill the pan to the top.  Cook for 30 seconds then put the pan in the oven.  Bake until cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.

5. Slide omelet out of the pan onto a serving plate.  Alternately, flip omelet bottom side up.

Fennel Salad

Makes 4 servings

1 large fennel bulb
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped capers
3  anchovy fillets, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper

1.  Trim the stalks from fennel about an inch above the bulb and cut out the hard core in the root end.  You can save some of those airy fronds for a garnish.
2.  Use a mandolin to thinly slice the bulb.  Alternately run it through the thin slice blade of a food processor. 
3.  Gently toss fennel, parsley, capers, anchovy, olive oil and vinegar together in a large bowl.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

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