First off, I would like to offer all you lovely readers an opportunity to share your cooking obstacles with me and I will then write about them (anonymously, of course) and offer my suggestions. No matter how out there, embarrassing or silly your cooking obstacles may be, we want to hear them and help you get over them. Be the first and write in!
Now to my post…I know what you are thinking; that I am making my poor house guest cook Spanish delicacies for us all day. Well, although that is partially true, she is also enjoying sharing her skills and her culture with us, I swear!
The following treat she made for us proved to me that if you want to make something authentic, sometimes you just have to go ahead and deep fry like she did with these potatoes. Yes, one can make this dish with steamed potatoes but that version will not bring you back to the cafes in Sevilla where you are enjoying your fatty tortilla de patatas with a glass of Rioja. Live it up once in a while. Then fast for a week :-).
Ana’s Tortilla de Patatas:
4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1 cm. sized pieces
4 TBS olive oil
6 eggs, beaten, then divided in half and placed in bowl
1/2 tsp kosher salt
In a medium sized frying pan, heat up oil. When hot (when a potato piece sizzles) add the potatoes. Fry until they are tender, stirring often so they do not stick to the pan. It should take about 15 minutes or so until they are tender. When done,leave on a paper towel covered plate to absorb excess oil.
Stir salt into the beaten eggs.
In a small sized frying pan, over low to medium heat, preferably non-stick if you can handle the potential toxins :-(, place half the potatoes and 3 of the beaten eggs. Let sit, lifting sides of egg mixture toward the middle with a spatula once it starts getting cooked on the edges a bit, to let the runny egg part leak into the perimeter of the pan to cook.
When sides are pretty cooked, flip over with a wide spaula and cook for a couple minutes more.
Set on a plate and make the next one. Enjoy!
P.S. Check out and listen to my podcast interview on the Ekhart Tolle website:
http://livingwithtolle.com/2010/06/30/ts-cooking-with-presence-interview-with-alma-schneider-of-take-back-the-kitchen/
13 Responses
Yum this looks good!
Now in honor your recently discovered Russian spies (and to give Ana a break), would you like my crockpot borsht recipe?
Yes, please bring on the Borscht! Also, I just received my Drizzle of Honey Medievil Jewish cookbook that I will soon be writing about. Excellent!
While we are talking borscht…I love beets and I have NO IDEA how to prepare them. I was brave and bought some fresh ones. Now what?
I would LOVE a good borscht crockpot recipe. As for beets, I just steam, peel, and then add butter and salt. Other suggestions, Alma?
Beets are so simple! I feel a post coming-stay tuned!!!
In the meantime, anonymous, cut off the ends, peel with a carrot peeler and cut into quarters. boil until tender (stick a fork in them) and then marinate and eat! Or, you can peel and eat them raw by cutting them into matchstick sized pieces. Check out my Kale and beet salad recipe on the blog.
Just saw your blog today and…I made spanish tortilla last night!!!
Hi Alma – in PR with family, enjoying the beach and yummy food. Was in Old San Juan yesterday and ate a tortilla with yucca, Spanish chorizo, manchego cheese, and some other ingredients — amazingly delicious and soo not healthy, but what a memory! 🙂
Aman
Hi there,
My cooking obstacle is complete and utter lack of vision. I always buy all sorts of fresh vegetables, fruits, have a variety of grains in the house and a full spice rack. We eat some meat, but not much – love cheese. what I'm trying to say is that mealtime shouldn't leave me stymied. Sometimes I see a recipe and think "why couldn't i have come up with that". Really, at my advanced age of 48, i've sort of accepted that this is just not one of my gifts. There are 5 of us in our family and I wish very much that I could throw something together without being recipe dependent. Some of us are REALLY challenged in this department!
Dear anonymous,
Thank you for sharing your obstacles. I will address them in my next post!
Alma
I have to ask – why the recommendation to use a nonstick pan? Is it the old myth that castiron won't work for eggs (they'll stick)? Because I thought the same thing until I bought a whole set of castiron pans about a year and a half ago and discovered that a properly seasoned, castiron pan is just as nonstick (or more – because those nonstick coatings scratch). I cook eggs in a castiron pan all the time. So, no need to risk the toxins. 🙂
Hi Jsmom. i have yet to find a non-stick pan that will not make my eggs stick. please share the pan brand you use. Thanks!
Lodge castiron. And, if you buy them on Amazon, you get free shipping!