Tortilla de Patata - Simply the Best

Well certainly what defines a great dish is your own taste to start with, and your own palate, and if you like that type of dishes, you know? Ingredient may be the most important part of a dish for me. To start with the simplest and greatest of all times is Spanish cuisine. The Spanish Tortilla is a great dish that can be prepared any time and the ingredients can be easily found anywhere on earth! Tortilla is a super dish for old and young! When I get back from work and don't know what to cook, the first thing that pops in my mind is the Spanish tortilla. It's so easy to make and can be prepared for less than ten bucks. It's a real bargain which saves you costs but also time in preparing the exquisite dish for your loved ones. I consider this the basic recipe for Spanish Tortilla and aim to show you that with this Tortilla recipe the making of this Spanish quiche or savory pie's really not difficult at all! You will find this easy Tortilla recipe - which contains only eggs, potato, onion, salt and pepper on the counter of just about every Spanish tapas bar, often accompanied by one or more variations on the recipe.

For this Tortilla recipe for the classic Spanish eggs and potato quiche you will need the following ingredients.

1 Pound Potato, in thin slices;
1 Onion, medium size, in thin slices;
4 Eggs;
dash Milk
5 or 6 tablespoons Olive Oil (for baking of the potato and onion);
1 tablespoon Olive Oil (for baking of the Tortilla);
1/4 teaspoon Salt (or to taste);
fair dash Black Pepper, preferably freshly ground;

The above quantities of Potato, Onion and Egg should be enough to make a nice Spanish Tortilla, of which you can cut eight or twelve beautiful slices.

Spanish Tortilla Preparation

Preparation of a Spanish Tortilla is really a lot easier than it would seem:

• Heat the Olive Oil in a Saucepan and softly sautee the Potato, Onion, Salt and Pepper for like fifteen minutes until the Potatoes are just done; Keep stirring the mix regularly, you want the Potato and Onion to look golden, not burned;

• Leave the Onion and Potato mix to cool until luke warm; Putting the mix in a colander on top of a bowl is an efficient way to get rid of the excess oil;

• Stir the Milk through the Eggs, add a pinch of Salt and freshly ground Pepper, and stir thoroughly;

• Add the Onion and Potato mix to the Eggs, stir softly until you are sure that all potato particles are covered on all sides, and leave to rest for a minute or so;

• Heat the tablespoon of Olive Oil in an 8 inch (20cm) diameter frying pan or skillet;

• Slide the Egg and Potato mix into the frying pan; Use the backside of a fork or spoon to push any pieces of Potato protruding from the mix back down, making sure everything is covered in egg;

• Bake the Tortilla for like a minute on medium heat, then switch heat to low; Depending on how far you let the Onion and Potato mix cool down, it may take anywhere in between 10 to 20 minutes for the Egg at the top to get done; You may use a lid on the pan to retain the heat;

• As soon as the Egg at the top of the Tortilla sets, slide a large flat plate on top of the frying pan and turn the Tortilla around on the plate; Slide the Tortilla upside down back into the frying pan:

• Few minutes later it's done! 

Pasta with Garbanzo Beans

Pasta e Ceci is an ancient Roman classic dish traditionally served on Fridays or Weekends. If you step into any Roman Trattoria on Fridays, you will probably notice its distinctive scent coming out from the generally rowdy kitchen. I have always been a fan of soups, especially soups that can be prepared in no time with minimal effort.

In actual fact, every corner of Italy has a version of pasta, and Ceci, I will introduce my own version of pasta and Ceci the way my grandma used to prepare it for 12 hungry but enthusiastic folks.

In essence, this family of full-bodied soups, pasta e ceci, pasta e fagioli, or white bean soup, are purees of beans with just enough oil and the trinity of onion, carrot, and celery to help the beans express themselves fortified with pasta or bread, dribbled with raw oil and maybe topped with some Parmesan. To prepare tasty pasta and ceci you do not need necessarily add celery or carrot, it’s fully up to you what flavors you wish to choose as long you don’t forget the main factors which are pasta and Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans)

You prepare your soffrito of finely chopped onion, garlic, and shallots, sautéing them gently and slowly in olive oil until soft floppy, and translucent. Then you add a dice of chicken stock (remember no MSG! Don’t mess with this dish), stir, and then 2/3 of your cooked chickpeas for 5 minutes (The peas are usually already salted, so no additional salt is needed). You stir again pour in two glasses of water and wait till boiling point. Lastly, throw in elbows (A kind of pasta, you can use any other type of pasta). Bring the pan to a happy boil, and then leave the pan to bubble away gently for about 7 minutes. Bon appetit!

 

Ingredients for 2 persons:

450g tinned chickpeas (Damage $3.00)
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (Damage $0.50)
mild onion peeled and finely diced (Damage $1.50)
diced garlic (Damage $ 2.00)
chicken stock (Damage $1.50)
225g small dried tubular pasta (Damage $ 4.00, it can be used countless times)

Optional

medium carrot peeled and finely diced
stick of celery finely diced
2 tbsp tomato concentrate
small sprig of rosemary
500ml vegetable or chicken stock or water the chickpeas were cooked in with more plain water added to make up the 500ml if necessary.
Parmesan rind
salt and freshly ground black pepper
your nicest oil for on top

Enjoy the freshness and richness of this meal; it’s tasty, healthy, and economical…