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Spanish Omelette Recipe: Catalan Stylemonkeysandmountains.com /spanish-omelette-recipe-catalan-style

Laurel

You can’t go to Spain and not eat a Spanish Omelette (Tortilla Espanola)!

This simple dish is one of the most popular in all of Spain and also one of my personal favorites. Next to Jamón (ham)of course. Nothings compares to Spanish Jamón. Well except for the cheese – that’s a close second. But I digress…

Spanish omelettes can be found on tapas menu, served as an appetizer, or as a light dinner. Everytime I stay at myfriend Isabel’s house in Barcelona, she prepares this tasty dish – Catalan style. You may be wondering what thedifference is between Tortilla Espanola Catalan style and Madrid style. It all comes down to the onions. The dish isprepared with onions in Catalan style and only with potatoes in Madrid style. I definitely prefer the Catalan style. I haveafter all attended a Calcotada (traditional green onion eating event)! And I do the know the secret to a Perfect Paella -learned from another Catalan chef! Catalans def initely know what they’re talking about when it comes tofood!

There arelots ofdifferentvariations ofa SpanishOmeletteand I had thepleasure ofmaking onemyself underthe skilledguidance ofChef Rais at

bcnKITCHEN, which offers market visits and either Spanish cooking or Spanish tapas workshops in English (moreoptions are available in Spanish).

Here is Rais’ Spanish Omelette

Me s howing o ff m y new-found pepper cutting s ki l l s . Not fo r the tor ti l la , but fo ranother d is h we were m aking. I jus t cou ldn ’t res is t s howing o ff.

Here is Rais’ Spanish OmeletteRecipe:

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 25minutes Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 8-10 servings as an appetizer.Serves 5-6 as a main course.

Ingredients:

• 6-7 medium potatoes, peeled • 2 wholeyellow onions (we used a sweeter catalanvariety) • 5-6 large eggs

Preparat ion:

Peel the potatoes and cut them in halflengthwise. Then, with the flat side on thecutting surface, cut again half lengthwise. Jointhe two halves and slice finely the potato.Make sure to separate the pieces that sticktogether. It is not necessary to slice thepotatoes paper thin, and it is best not to use afood processor . If you slice them a bit thick, itwill simply take a bit longer for them to cook.

Peel and chop the onion into halves and slicethem finely (Julienne cut).

Deep- fry the potatoes into preheated frying oil(medium heat), until they are soft and golden.If the oil is too hot, the potatoes will brownrapidly on the outside, but still be raw on theinside. You’ll they’re done if you can poke apiece of potato with a spatula and it easilybreaks in two. Drain the oil excess, putting abowl below to get the oil and be able to reuseit when frying again.

In a large pan, carmelize the onion in around2 Tbsp oil. Remember not to add salt until theonion starts to caramelize, otherwise it would let all the water from the onions out.

Break the eggs and whisk them. Add in onions and potatoes, mix with a wooden spoon or spatula and add a pinch ofsalt to the mixture.

Take a round, non-stick pan. Coat it with oil (just a stream) and heat on medium-high heat, so the tortilla doesn’t burnbefore being done.

Stir in a portion of the tortilla mixture and spread out evenly. Allow the egg to cook (you can crumble in the beginning soall the egg gets cooked), and when you see that the omelette it’s set in the edges and in the bottom, take the frying panover the sink, and place a large plate (larger than the pan!), upside down over the pan.

With your stronger arm (depending, right-handed or left- handed) take the pan, quickly turn it over and hold the plate sothe omelette falls onto it safely. Go back again to the stove and carefully slide the omelette from the dish to the pan,cooking the other side of the tortilla. Use the spatula to shape the sides of the omelette in round shape. Let it cook for 3-4 minutes.

The s teps to m aking a Spanis h om ele tte . Fl ipp ing i t on to the p la te is the m os t d i ffi cu l t par t, bu t even I m anaged i t.

Carefully slide the omelette onto the serving plate. To serve as a main course, slice it into 6-8 pieces like a pie. Servesliced French bread on the side (remember to make pa amb tomaquet if if you find any really ripe tomatoes!), simplyrubbing the bread slices with tomato and coating them with extra virgin olive oil.

If you are serving our tortilla as an appetizer, slice a baguette into pieces about 1⁄2 inch thick. (rub them for pa ambtomaquet if you want), cut the tortilla into 1.5” squares and place a piece on top of each slice of bread.

Chef Rais’ Tip! The recipe above is for the Catalan way, but you can try the Madrid way (only potatoes). If you’refeeling innovative, you can add in cream cheese, grated cheese, chorizo, sobrassada (the paprika and pork sausagewith a creamy texture) diced olives, fresh herbs (parsley, oregano or basil work really well!), and even spices (try curryif you’re feeling extra brave)

Can’t get enough of Catalan cuisine? Then find out How to Eat Like a Local in Barcelona, or go fancy shmancy atLes Magnoles, where I enjoyed a 17 course (yes you read that right) meal, or check out my friend Tony’s Ten Ways toExperience Catalan Cuisine.

Book your own Market Visit and Spanish Cooking Workshop in Barcelona at bcnKITCHEN. It’s a 4 hourworkshop, and you’ll learn how to make a four course Catalan meal. Cost is €65 per person including lunch. You canbook online here.

Thank you to Catalonia Tourism for making my visit possible. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.

About Laurel

Laurel Robbins is a free-spirited adventurer, award-winning travel blogger at Monkeys and MountainsAdventure Travel Blog. Many hats, one travel obsessed Canadian in Germany.