Tortilla

Comfort food is always the best food. Certain dishes bring smiles to faces and warmth to souls. Tortilla, without question, has become one of those dishes for me. I have grown to truly crave this tapa, and it forever has my heart. It is more than a comfort food for me; It is memory. I remember the different tortillas enjoyed in different spots around Spain … and having met friends along the way whom have mastered the art of making this dish. Tortilla is the national dish of Spain, and for good reason. It is simple, healthy, and can be eaten at any temperature. It is great for sharing.

Currently, it is my winter break. Charlie and I recently returned from a holiday in Rome. The best dishes we enjoyed included a maximum of six ingredients, no more, and the flavors were perfect. This is common throughout Europe … simple cooking, minimal ingredients, beautiful flavors. Only five ingredients are required for tortilla, but one takes precedence: Olive oil. This is the secret (in my opinion) to making tortilla, so do not be shy. When cooking provincial dishes like this, many would say "use your best" olive oil. But really, what is "the best" oil? I have come to loathe that term. Like wine, everyone gravitates to a different type, a different palate. Oils are the same, and it also depends on what is available where you live. Forget using "the best" oil. Use your favorite oil. You know, the one that makes you smile.

Materials:
5 eggs
1 potato
1 onion
olive oil
sea salt


Procedure:
1. Beat eggs. Add a dash of salt. Set aside.

2. Slice the potato super thin, as thin as you can. Do the same to your onion. Set aside.

3. Put a liberal amount of oil in a skillet. Fry your onions till slightly golden. Do the same to your potato. Add a heavy pinch of salt.

4. Add 3-4 Tbsp. of olive oil to your skillet. Pour the egg in with your vegetables and let it gently cook on medium for 5-10 minutes (depending upon your stove).

5. The hard part: Flip the tortilla. This can be done several ways:

1. Place a plate on your skillet so that the bottom of the plate faces you, the chef. Flip your tortilla on the plate then slide it back in fast to cook the other side.

2. Liberally coat another skillet of the same size with olive oil. Place this skillet over your tortilla so the bottom of the second skillet faces you, the chef. Flip the tortilla into the "new" skillet and continue to cook the other side.

This serves a ración for 2, or (if quartered) makes 4 tapitas. This is served both hot and cold, and even as filling for sandwiches. Pick which ever way you prefer. If serving as a tapa, don't forget a side of bread, olives, or pisto for that real bodega feeling. Enjoy with friends, drinks, and laughs. Happy Spring.

Pasta Improviso

One of the great things about Italian cooking is it's ultimate flexibility. Following a few basic principles, you can make a meal out of just about anything.

It's Thursday night and I don't feel like going out to eat so I'm taking stock of what I have to work with... a few mushrooms, a leek and a bag of field greens…so it's looking like a salad. Then I see the orecchiette (little ears) pasta in the cupboard and it hits me: why not make a simple sauce of sauteed leeks, mushrooms and field greens?

What’s on hand:
1 Leek
1 bag of field greens
8 mushrooms
1 clove of garlic
¼ cup of olive oil
2 tbsp. of butter
1.5 cups orecchiette pasta
Some white wine (always on hand at our house)
Parmigiano-Reggiano (or equivalent)
Salt and pepper

Put 4 quarts of salted water in a large pot on the stove on high heat. You want to have your water boiling before you start the sauce.

Next, chop the leek fine, then slice the mushrooms as if using them in an omelet. Peel the garlic. Heat the olive oil and 2 tbsp. of butter in a sauté pan and add the leeks. Cook for 2-3 minutes; then add the mushrooms. Crush the garlic with the flat part of a knife to open it up (this makes it easy to remove later) and add with the mushrooms. Note that as the mushrooms and the greens cook they provide additional liquid

for the sauce.

After 3-4 minutes, remove the garlic, add the greens and continue to cook until the greens are wilted and soft. Add a sprinkling of salt and several grindings of pepper. Remove from heat and let rest a few minutes. Add the pasta to the water and cook according to instructions. When about halfway done, place the sauce on low heat and add 2-3 tbsp. of white wine.

When the pasta is done, drain and immediately toss with the sauce. Add a few grindings of pepper, a generous amount of Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano, then correct for salt. Serve at once.