Shanna commented recently on how to make tortillas successfully. I'm a big fan of tortillas, as many of you know I love making them and I love eating them. I, likewise, refuse to buy tortillas, since the homemade variety are so increíble.
However, when travelling in Spain, you'll find something altogether different if you ask for a tortilla. Here, you'll encounter a Spanish omelette rather than a rolled, unleavened clump of dough.
These pictures are of a simple concoction I made at home with a small potato, part of an onion, and part of a red pepper, all chopped. Sautee the potato, then add the onion, add some garlic, salt, black pepper, and whatever else you like. Whip about 4 eggs with a small splash of milk. Now, this is controversial; many tell me that I must not whip the eggs, and I must not disturb their purity with milk. But the purpose of a Spanish tortilla, as I see it, is an infrastructure of firm-but-fluffy egg. And for this, I whip air into the eggs and add a touch of milk to get the texture I like.
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In a small pan with a bit of heated butter and olive oil, add the egg mixture (again, controversial; people only use olive oil to cook here) and cover with a lid without stirring. After a few seconds (to firm up the bottom layer of egg), add the sauteed vegetables and re-cover. Cook over medium-low heat for a bit until the bottom is firm. The top will be uncooked, but hopefully isn't too liquid if you have the heat and the cover set right.
Now comes the tricky part: flip the omelette.
Yes, flip it!
The easiest way to accomplish this is to ready a second, larger frying pan with a bit of heated oil and flip the omelette directly into this pan. Another approach is to slide the omelette onto a plate, then flip it back into the pan (though try this over the sink, please!). If you're successful, you have something that looks really nice. Now you've just to cook the bottom and serve up. As you see, it's often served as a pie, and you serve wedge portions from it.
In Spain, this is a staple at restaurants and in homes. Often it's served pretty bland, I regret to say, with plain potatoes, egg substitutes, and no spice to it at all. At home it's much better. You can accompany with a salsa, sour cream, or fresh fruits and vegetables as you like.
