Thursday 24 January 2008

Getting There

I made another tortilla today, after investing in a plastic tortilla flipper (I think it's called a vuelca tortilla en Español). Definitely 1 Euro well-spent.



This thing made the flipping flipping easy. In today's experiment I left out the onion, and I didn't par-boil the spuds; just sauteed them for about a month. I'm not sure that the spud-cooking method made much of a difference, so I think I'll revert to par-boiling next time. And I used eight eggs instead six, and was really stingy with the heat. The result, I declare to be about 85% perfect.





I got a nice shape to the edge, perfect colour on the top (ok, I admit, the underside is a little browner), and a pleasing moistness within (that sounds almost pornographic, doesn't it?). I'm pretty pleased with this effort, and if there's any left by the time MamaDuck gets home tonight I'm sure she will be too!

9 comments:

leftbanker said...

Most Spanish folks prefer to just use a plate to do the flipping but I swear by the little plastic thingie that you have. I wrote a bit about tortillas a while back and they are not as easy to make as one would think. I think that you really need to fry the potatoes in oil as opposed to par-broiling. I use an obscene amount of oil and I slice the spuds as thinly as I can. I also prefer to add a sliced onion to the potatoes when they are about half way done. Yours looks really good. I make a tortilla almost every week just to stay in practice.

Passionate Dilettante said...

Yup! =)

nzm said...

Looks really scrummy!

BTW - we might be coming to Espagne for summer. Nothing concrete yet, just some ideas being thrown around. Will let you know closer to the time.

dubaibilly said...

I always liked your cooking Keef, and that looks really good!

leftbanker said...

Inspired by your post and goaded by a bit of tortilla envy, I made one just this morning. For the first time I had trouble with it sticking to the pan—I guess it may be time for another non-stick skillet. I always do the flipping part over a big mixing bowl in the sink so I was able to catch all of the goop. The first two or three turns were like a tortilla Chernobyl, but you know what they say: it’s not over until the fat lady stuffs it in her big gob. I took your advice and cooked it at a very low temperature (I hate my electric stove! I just had to say that.). It eventually turned out really well.

rosh said...

hmmm yum yum! Looks like you did a great job.

Jayne said...

Thanks for making me feel hungry Keef!! Gawd, that looks bloody yummy......well done!

hut said...

Steaming the spuds first also does. I find they keep the flavour better.
No cheese in it?

Anonymous said...

As promised, here's how I do it:
1 cup olive oil
1-2 large potatoes - diced
salt
1 large onion- thinly sliced
4-6 eggs

heat oil in non-stick pan, add potatoes and onions. Alternate layers while cooking on low-medium heat. Do not fry! Turn occasionally till potatoes tender but not brown.

beat eggs and add salt to taste. Drain potatoes and onions and add to eggs.Press well till they are both covered entirely by the eggs. Let sit for 10-15 mins to soak up the "egginess".

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add mixture spreading quickly. Lower heat to medium/high. Keep shaking pan well to prevent sticking. When potatoes start to brown a bit, cover the pan with a plate and flip. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and return the tortilla back to the pan. Turn 3-4 times for better cooking if necessary.

Hope this helps!