DISH NAME : SPANISH OMELETTE / TORTILLA ESPANOLA

Preparation Time : 20 minutes

Cooking Time : 15 minutes

Description

Spanish omelette or Spanish tortilla, also called tortilla espanola or tortilla de patata, (Pronunciation: tor-tee-yah) is a dish consisting of a thick egg omelette made with potatoes and fried in olive oil. This is different from the Mexican Tortilla, which is made with maize flour. The tortilla may be eaten hot or cold. It is commonly served as a snack (tapas) or picnic dish throughout Spain. As a tapas / snack, it may be cut into bite-size pieces and served on cocktail sticks. Some of the additions to the base ingredients include green peppers/ capsicums, chorizo(sausage), zucchini , eggplant (brinjal), mushrooms, and ham. The tortilla paisana includes red pepper and peas. The texture and thickness of tortillas varyfrom region to region . In Spain, a tortilla is almost always accompanied by bread and by pickles,of olives and gherkins. In many places, it is served in a sandwich made with crusty bread.

Note

1) If the oil is too hot when frying potatoes, the potatoes will brown rapidly on the outside, but will be raw on the inside.
2) If you use a small pan the tortilla will be thick like how it is meant to look. The bigger the pan, the thinner the tortilla.
3) This dish can be prepared the day beofore and served cold or hot.

Method

1) Cut potatoes vertically. Then slice thinly. 2) Mix this with onions.
3) Add salt and pepper.
4) Heat oil in a pan. Arrange potatoes and onions evenly. Cook till potatoes are done, but need not brown them.
5) When cooked, remove, add capsicum chopped & keep aside to cool slightly.
6) Crack eggs & season with salt & pepper & whisk well. Add potato- onion mix to egg.
7) Heat 2 tbsp. oil . The pan should not be too hot or it will burn the tortilla. Stir the potato - egg mix once more & pour into the pan. Allow the egg to cook on a slow fire. Carefully lift up one side of the omelette to see if the egg has browned lightly. If it has browned it is ready to turn it over to cook the other side. Now place a large plate & place it upside down over the frying pan.With one hand on the frying pan handle & the other on top of the plate (to hold it steadily), quickly turn the frying pan over. The omelette should fall onto the plate. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp. oil in the same pan. Let the pan warm lightly. Slide the omelette gently into the frying pan. Let it cook till done.
8) When done, slip the omelette gently onto serving plate. Serve with sofrito ( fried tomato sauce).

Serving Suggestions

Serve with sofrito ( fried tomato sauce). Can be served as a whole meal with bread and salad. Or cut into small pieces and serve as snack.