Spanish Tortilla and Tomato Bread

In Spain, a tortilla is an entirely different food than it's name doppelganger in the Americas. The Spanish tortilla is an egg-based dish, almost like a frittata or open omelet loaded up with anything from potatoes and veggies to mariscos (mixed seafood). It is served at all times of the day and into the night as tapas. Anything goes, which is probably what drew me to this classic recipe in the first place.

From what I hear, there are as many variations as there are cooks in Spain. In typical Spanish fashion, I serve it with tomato bread. As with most of the recipes I've written or adapted, this is completely open for adjustment and creativity. The one I made yesterday was pretty basic, potatoes, peppers, onions, fresh herbs, tomatoes and Parmigiano Reggiano. My mouth is watering just thinking about making this thing. Damn, it's good.

The only special equipment you need for the tortilla is an apx. 12" oven safe skillet, like one made from cast iron. Basically the skillet needs to be free of plastics or coatings that could melt when the entire thing is put in the oven. I live, and will probably die, by my cast iron skillets. You can get a solid cooking-partner-for-life for about $30. Although they may seem porous, a well-seasoned, old-school cast iron skillet is as non-stick as the most expensive cookware out there and it will out-live you. Summary: buy one.

Now that's settled, we can get on to the recipe.

Spanish Tortilla
 Ingredients
2 medium red potatoes, peeled and 1/2" diced
1 small red bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, 1/4 diced
1/2 yellow onion, 1/4" diced
handful grape tomatoes quartered
handful fresh herbs

I used basil, thyme, and oregano. As always, use whatever you have. If you have to use dried herbs, use 1/3 the amount.

6 eggs beaten with a splash of milk, half and half, or cream
3 tbsp vegetable or light olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp fresh grated Parm

Preheat oven to 350f.

Bring a medium saucepan 1/2-3/4 full of water to a boil. Add at least 1 tsp salt and potatoes. Cook the potatoes until just tender but still firm, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

Heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat in an oven safe skillet on the stovetop. Add onions and peppers and saute for about 2 minutes. Sprinkle in a pinch or two of Kosher salt and some fresh ground black pepper. Add potatoes and cook until they turn golden around the edges. Reduce heat to low.

Pour the beaten eggs evenly over the veggies. Let it cook mostly undisturbed for about 2-3 minutes or until the bottom is set. Please, please do not stir it around or it will resemble a scramble served Denny's.

Sprinkle the top of the tortilla with the chopped herbs, tomatoes, and Parm. Carefully, transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake for about 10 minutes until all of the egg is set. Remove the skillet and let it cool for a couple of minutes.

To remove the tortilla from the pan, invert a dinner plate over the top of the skillet and, holding it tightly to the top of the tortilla, turn the tortilla over onto the plate. To get it right-side-up, invert a second plate on top of the upside-down tortilla. Flip it over one more time, remove the top plate, and TA-DA! It's ready to slice and serve.

Tomato Bread
Tomato bread is so unbelievably easy, but so good. I used a baguette from our friends' locally famous artisan bakery, Olde Hearth Bread Company. The key to good tomato bread is, you guessed it, good tomatoes and good bread. So starting with one of their baguettes was key. You can use any kind of crusty bread, ciabatta, Italian, whatever. You can use almost any kind of tomatoes, although the smaller sauce varieties work best. It is imperative that the tomatoes are very ripe, almost over ripe, deep red, juicy, and sweet. For an added level of flavor, rub a smashed clove of garlic over the bread just before the tomato.

Ingredients
good bread
very ripe tomatoes (1 medium per serving)
Kosher salt
extra virgin olive oil, if desired

Cut the bread in half lengthwise then cut into desired serving size. I usually use a 4-5" length of baguette per person.


Grill the bread, cut side down, on a dry skillet over medium heat. Grill until the entire surface is golden and the high points begin to brown.

While the bread grills, cut the tomatoes in half.

When the bread is finished, take the cut side of the tomato and smear it all over the top of the bread until it is nice and pinkish red. Discard the tomato skins. Drizzle the bread with a tiny bit of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with Kosher salt.

It's also fun to let your family or guests make their own tomato bread. Smashing and smearing tomatoes is really fun for a five-year-old. Actually, it's really fun for me too. Just put the grilled bread on the table with the cut tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil and salt and let them go nuts.

Serve.


Enjoy!