Spanish Omelette: Tortilla Española

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Marianne under Recipes

I haven’t posted a recipe for a while, so I’ll make up for that by giving you a classic Spanish dish, that can be found in many variations, anywhere in Spain.

The Spanish tortilla can be eaten as a main course or, because it is good served cold, it makes excellent picnic food cut into wedges and wrapped in cling-film. Here in Spain, tortilla is often served as tapas, cut into small cubes and speared with cocktail sticks – and is delicious with chilled amontillado sherry.

You might also find it lurking between chunks of crusty bread as a sandwich filling!

Ingredients:

2 medium-to-large-sized potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 medium-to-large onion, peeled and thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, crushed

Olive oil

6 eggs – beaten

Salt and pepper to taste

(Variations: you can also add a little red or green pepper, spinach, diced ham, chorizo or mushrooms – but the classic Spanish tortilla doesn’t contain these. In fact, often no onion is added, but I think it adds flavour, along with a little red pepper for colour. I also like to add a teaspoon of dried mixed herbs or fresh coriander if I have any).

Method:

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the sliced potatoes, onion and garlic and gently fry over a moderate heat until the potatoes begin to soften. Try not to brown them. In the meantime, whisk the eggs gently in a large bowl, and season. When the potatoes have softened slightly, tip the onion and potato mixture into the bowl containing the eggs. Stir gently but thoroughly. (Don’t be tempted to just add the beaten eggs to the potato and onion mixture in the pan – it doesn’t seem to work!)

Wipe the frying pan with some kitchen roll (taking care not to burn yourself), add some clean olive oil and pour in the mixture. Cook over a low heat for approximately 10-15 minutes and then flip the tortilla over to cook the second side. You can easily do this by placing a round plate face-down on top of the pan and then, with one hand on top of the plate and the other holding the pan, invert both, leaving the tortilla upside-down on the plate. You should then carefully slide the tortilla back into the pan and continue frying gently, until the underside is browned.

Serve with salad and a squeeze of lime juice.

Other recipes to tickle your taste-buds, include:

Fresh Figs Stuffed with Goat´s Cheese and wrapped in Smoked Bacon

Patatas a lo pobre: Poor man´s potatoes

Home-made Hummamole dip

Easy-to-Make Aromatic Lemon and Rosemary Salt Scrub

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Marianne under Recipes, Slice of Life

Click any image to open a slide show

Even though I always wear gloves for gardening, my hands were still left a bit grubby after preparing the vegetable plot last week, as I still insist on poking around in the soil even when I’ve taken them off! So I decided to make a very simple salt scrub and my hands were soon good-as-new. Want to know how I made it? Here’s how:

Aromatic Lemon and Rosemary Salt Scrub

I wanted to only use ingredients I have at home, without going out to buy anything – besides which, I needed to use the salt scrub in quick-style! I used 1 cup of sea salt, 1/2 cup of baby oil, the zest of two lemons and a couple of sprigs of rosemary from the garden.

First of all, I put the sea salt into a bowl, added the baby oil and gave it a little stir. Then I zested two lemons, pulled the individual rosemary leaves from the sprigs and chopped them roughly. All that was left was to tip the lemon zest and rosemary into the mixture, give it a final stir and spoon into a pretty jar .

I then added a label and tied something pretty around the outside of the jar and that’s it – done!

Easy peasy lemon squeezy ….. so to speak!

What rewards do you treat yourself with for a job well done?

You might also enjoy:

Easy No-Bake Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Cookies

Fresh Figs Stuffed with Goat´s Cheese and wrapped in Smoked Bacon

I can see Africa from my terrace!

Thrifty Thursday (Week 31)

Home-made Hummamole Dip

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Marianne under Recipes

Now that the good weather’s here, I’m always on the lookout for delicious and nutritious recipes for the summer months.

I’ve never been a big fan of Hummus or Guacamole, finding both chickpeas and avocado rather bland in their own ways. But combined, with a few extras thrown in – I’m loving my Hummamole, and I’m sure you will, too!

Here’s how to make it:

Home-made Hummamole Dip

Ingredients

1 large avocado (approx150g after being peeled and pitted)

1 jar of chickpeas – drained and washed (approx. 150g)

2 fat cloves of garlic – peeled and crushed

1 small red onion – peeled and chopped

½ cup fresh cilantro – chopped (you could use fresh mint leaves instead, if you prefer)

2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

2 lemons – juiced

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Pinch of hot chilli powder

A few twists of black pepper

Method

Simply throw all the ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth. Add a little water to thin out the consistency if you prefer.

I usually cut some batons of carrots, red and green peppers, celery and red onions for dipping in, and the Hummamole will keep in the fridge for a few days.

It’s as simple as that!

Other posts you might enjoy:

Easy No-Bake Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Cookies

Cost of living in southern Spain

CBBH Photo Challenge – Multi-coloured

Chickpea and chorizo soup with smoky paprika bread

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Marianne under Recipes

Well, we’ve arrived safely home in Spain after being Down Under for the past four months. We’ve had an amazing time, but it’s always good to be back in your own bed, and with more possessions than you can fit into a suitcase, isn’t it?

Although it has just started raining as I write this post, the three days since we arrived home have been sunny and warm, but the evenings soon feel chilly once the sun has gone down. So what better to warm us up than a bowl of hot soup, especially one full of Spanish flavours?

To make this delicious Chickpea and Chorizo soup, you will need the following ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 (340g) chorizo sausages (chopped coarsely)

1 large brown onion (diced)

1 medium red pepper (diced)

2 cloves garlic (crushed)

400g can chopped tomatoes

1 level teaspoon of dried mixed herbs (or use fresh if you have them)

750mls (3cups) chicken stock

400g jar of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)

For the Smoky Paprika Bread, you will need:

1 level teaspoon smoked paprika

1 clove garlic (crushed)

50g butter (softened)

1 loaf of crusty bread (sliced thickly)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat and add the chorizo. Cook, stirring until slightly browned. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the diced onion, red pepper and garlic to the pan. Cook, stirring until the onion has softened. Add the undrained tomatoes and the chicken stock and bring to the boil.

Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the chickpeas.

Remove two cups of soup and purée in a blender. Return to pan along with the chorizo. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (I like to add a few whole black peppercorns to the soup to give it an extra bite).

To make the Smoky Paprika Bread – combine smoked paprika, garlic and softened butter in a small bowl. Spread half of the flavoured butter onto the bread slices and pop under the grill until browned. Turn each slice over, spread the remaining butter and toast the second side until browned and crisp.

Serve the soup with Smokey Paprika Bread immediately.

Que approveche!

You might also enjoy:

Patatas a lo pobre: Poor man´s potatoes

Fresh Figs Stuffed with Goat´s Cheese and wrapped in Smoked Bacon

The heart of Cómpeta: El Paseo de las Tradiciones

Spanish-Style Breakfast: Churros served with thick hot chocolate

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Marianne under Axarquía, Recipes

This is Churros con chocolate, a fried dough pastry-based snack dipped in thick, hot chocolate, and is a great favourite with Spaniards for breakfast.

Churros are typically fried until they become crunchy, and may be sprinkled with sugar. The surface of a churro is ridged due to having been piped from a churrera, a syringe with a star-shaped nozzle.

Try them – they´re delicious!