Anyone who has been to Spain will appreciate this twist on a classic dish, or rather the combination of two traditional Spanish dishes. You cannot go to Spain without trying Spanish tortilla and patatas bravas. The Spanish love their potatoes almost as much as they love their jamon (cured ham) and I have got to admit, they do a damn good job of preparing them.
Patatas bravas are fried chunks of potatoes dressed, typically, in one of two sauces. The white sauce is an aioli and the red is a sort-of spicy tomato sauce, which is generally not spicy at all. I love this patatas bravas tomato sauce and decided why not drizzle it on top of another form of spanish potatoes, the tortilla.
Now this tortilla recipe is far from the conventional Spanish tortilla. I wanted to change it up a bit to add flavor and color and, of course, make it healthier. Instead of using only potatoes, I use half potatoes and half zucchini. I figured the zucchini would not only add a unique flavor, but this vegetable excretes juices when cooked. This would add moisture to the tortilla, which, if not cooked properly like a true Spaniard, can end up being very dry. Not to mention Zucchini is a nutritious vegetable, much more so than its potato counterpart. So why not add a little green to a Spanish favorite. God knows Spaniards need to add a bit more greens to their (mouthwatering) meat and starch cuisine.
Note: while cooking this tortilla I was busy trying to edit the recipe I had written, thus I sacrificed our meal by burning the tortilla. If your tortilla looks like this, it is a little over cooked. Like our parents' infamous line, "do what I say, not what I do."
Makes 1 tortilla
-4 eggs
-1/2 medium sized Vidalia onion, quartered and thinly sliced
-1 large Yukon Gold potato, thinly sliced
-1 zucchini, thinly sliced
-2 tablespoons of chicken broth
-4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Heat oil over medium flame in a medium sized skillet. Add the onion and cook until translucent but not yet browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add potato and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Stir gently. Stir in zucchini and cook for 5-8 minutes or until potato and zucchini are soft. Transfer mixture into a bowl and allow it to cool.
In a separate bowl, beat eggs. Add chicken stock and whisk together. Pour mixture into the bowl with the potatoes. Mix gently until everything is well combined.
In the same skillet add an additional 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat at medium for a minute. Pour the mixture into the skillet and flatten the potatoes until the top is even. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for about 7-8 minutes. Shake the skillet and run the spatula around the edges so that the uncooked egg can slide to the sides to cook. The tortilla is ready to flip when the top is wet but not liquid.
To flip the tortilla, place a large plate on the top of the skillet (the plate should be slightly larger than the skillet). Place one hand under the plate and the other on the handle of the skillet to flip it over. Be careful, the skillet is hot and will be heavy. Make sure you have a tight grip on the skillet and the hand holding the plate. You may want to do this over the sink in the case that some of the uncooked egg leaks. When the tortilla is on the plate, carefully slide it back onto the skillet to cook the other side. Shake skillet to straighten out the tortilla. Reduce heat to low and cook for about 3 minutes.
Flip the tortilla onto the serving plate. Cut into slices and serve with some of the tomato sauce drizzled on top.
Tomato Sauce
-1/2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
-1/2 onion, roughly chopped
-1 medium garlic clove, roughly chopped
-1/2 tablespoon of granulated sugar
-15 oz can of diced tomatoes
-1 tablespoon of white vinegar
-1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
-2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper (alter amount depending on desired heat)
-2 tablespoons of mayonnaise Healthier Choice: use Greek yogurt
Heat olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add onion. Cook for about 3 minutes and add garlic. Cook for another 5 minutes until onion is transparent and garlic is golden. Add can of tomatoes, sugar and vinegar. Cook for about 15-20 minutes.
Carefully pour mixture into blender and blend until smooth. Transfer tomato mixture into a bowl. Add cayenne pepper, paprika and mayonnaise. Mix thoroughly. Add salt to taste.
Healthier Choices:
Use egg whites. You will need about 6 egg whites
Use ½ the potato and 2 zucchinis
You can make several variations of tortilla. Like the hummus, once you get the idea you can get creative. Here are several other variations of tortilla.
-Traditional Spanish tortilla: Just potatoes. Follow the recipe but add more potato in place of the zucchini
-Zucchini and squash tortilla
-Add bell peppers to the traditional tortilla
-Potato and artichoke tortilla
-Sweet potato and Yukon Gold potato tortilla
When I made the tortilla, I made ceviche to go on the side. I will post this recipe this weekend.
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