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