Tortilla Espanola

Hola! Many of you know that Ryan's mama is from Spain. Actually, Ryan's great grandfather was the prime minister of Spain. There is a statue of him still in Madrid. Fun fact, we honeymooned in Madrid nearly 8 years ago! So much fun!

Ryan Micheal Lellis, in Madrid, In front of his great grandfather's statue. 

With Ryan's mom being from Spain, he grew up eating Spanish food. I, however, did not. She first made tortilla espanola for me about 11 years ago. Back story, when Ryan and I met I was insanely picky--It took him about 7 years to get me to eat shrimp. So, when his mama cooked this for me, I asked for ketchup to go with this tortilla. Silly Jilly. I offended her. My pallet was not refined at that point in my life. I didn't know this was a faux pas. Luckily, she still loves me. She loves me so much that she has shared her Spanish recipes with me! She taught me how to cook this meal and I will be forever grateful for that. Since my first tortilla experience, Ryan has introduced to me to so many different flavors that I had not experienced before. 

For those of you that don't know, a spanish tortilla is a bit like a quiche. It's made with potatoes and eggs and flipped in the pan. If done right, it is a beautiful creation. I decided to make one. Well, I actually ended up making two because at times, I tend to over-cook. I suppose it's the Italian mother in me. I always want PLENTY of food for everyone and at times, it tends to be too much! So, never one to complain, I made the most out of over-preparing. I made two different tortillas: a traditional one and one where I added garlic and chorizo. To be honest, the latter was more of a hit than the former! 

Bear in mind this recipe creates TWO tortillas, so plan accordingly, and by that I mean prepare to use TWO different pans! 

Ingredients: 

• 4 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper (I use red because I prefer red, but you can use whatever color you like!)
• 12 eggs
• 2 tbsp evoo
• salt & pepper to taste
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 chorizo links, chopped into cubes

1) Preheat pan to med-high heat. Add 1 tbsp evoo. I split the ingredients into two batches. Saute first batch onions, peppers and potatoes in pre-heated pan. Once tender, remove from heat. Repeat for batch 2, but add garlic and chorizo while sauteing. 

2) This is important: You must let the the sauteed veggies COOL completely. Put each batch in its own bowl and use a paper towel to sop up any extra oil. 

3) Once cool, crack the eggs and lightly mix them. Evenly pour the mixture over each bowl of goodies. Stir lightly, with out breaking the potatoes. 

4)Pre heat two pans over medium heat. Add a bit of evoo. Pour each mixture into its own preheated, slightly oiled pan. Let it cook while scraping the sides in a gentle, scooping manner, in order to prevent sticking and ensure cooking. 

5) Once the mixture appears solid enough to flip (this part is tricky and took me a few years to conquer. If you giggle the pan and the entire mixture moves, it's not ready to flip. It should be solid enough to withstand the rough flipping movement without breaking. If you break it, don't worry, it will still taste good, it just won't be as pretty. Practice makes perfect!). Once you decide your tortillas are ready to flip, prepare your plates. The pans that I use are a bit heavy, so ENTER RYAN LELLIS... 

6) Ok, this is how you flip the tortillas: First use a spatula to gently scrape the sides to ensure proper sliding. Next, put plate on top of the pan.Grab a pot holder so you don't burn yourself, put one hand on the handle (or if the pan is heavy, slide the pot holder under the bottom and place one hand on the bottom of the pan with pot holder and the other hand), one on the plate and flip. (See below).

7) Now the tortilla is cooked side UP on the plate. Simply slide the tortilla back onto the pan uncooked side down. Let finish cooking. As Alton Brown says, if it's cooked in the pan, its over cooked on the plate. So cook until ALMOST finished (a couple more minutes). 

8) Remove from heat. Serve with tomatoes and fresh basil. Enjoy.

-Side note, tortilla should be refrigerated when done eating. Tortillas are usually BETTER the second day. So feel free to pre-make these! Enjoy! 

From the Lellis Family to yours!

Love and light. 

Jillian 

Ryan Micheal Lellis Ryan Lellis