Friday, April 28, 2006

Kate: Spanish Tortilla


I have an Australian friend here in Brussels whos parents are Spanish. She advised me, passionately, as to how to flip a tortilla even down to how to stand, "knees bent, arms and shoulders relaxed" (Elaine this is Tonya). She also suggested some Tapas, the yellow peppers came from her.
I followed your recipe Cath, flipping with bent knees of course. The recipe was fine and as i've mentioned before Greg was sent out of the kitchen so I could concentrate, it was serious business. With my first flip I left half the tortilla stuck to the non stick pan(?). I quickly patched it up and added more oil which was crucial. I probably didnt have enough fat in the pan originally. The tortilla was reasonably forgiving and subsequent flips went perfectly. I probably did one too many but it was good to get the feel for it.
I am definatley converted to flipping. Mainly because mishaps are easily disguised and the difference in shape an the way it browns is well worth it.
Next time I would use a smaller pan for the same quantity as it wasnt as thick as I would have liked.

I went a bit crazy with the Tapas. Firstly we had Yellow Peppers in Vinegar and Parsley. These were so simple. Just roast and skin two peppers, slice, drizzle with white vinegar, olive oil a sprinkling of parsley and sea salt. I wasnt sure about the white vinegar but it worked perfectly. Next time I would roll them up and maybe secure with a tooth pic. this would make eating them eaier and also look a bit prettier.
Next were Thyme Roasted Almonds, again, so simple but very difficult to stop eating them once oyu start. Lay almonds on a baking sheet covered with baking paper, drizzle with olive oil to coat, throw over a T of fresh thyme leaves and a good pinch of sea salt. Turn to coat again and roast for 6-8mins in a hot oven. Cool and serve warm or at room temperature.
Chorizo braised in Cider served with slices of Manchego cheese, (I dont know if the chorizo in cider is authentic but I discovered it about three years ago. The recipe is from an the Australian Gourmet Traveller and they've since featured at pretty much every party we've had. The Manchego cheese was my addition. I love it and was desperate to squeeze it in somewhere, between the sausages seemed the most appropriate spot. And it did work quite well) Pour 750 mls of dry cider over 6 chorizo bring to the boil then simmer for 25-30 mins until sausages are glossy and cider reduces by half. Cool, slice and serve warm or at room temp.
Finally (Sweet) Patatas Bravas. The first three were delicious and I would do all again but I should have stuck with tradition with the patatas bravas....this is evident in thier absence from the photo.
Great idea Cath!

5 Comments:

Blogger Elaine said...

I love the light blue tray behind your tapas. I think I might do a manchego cheese with some orange marmalade or quince jam. Just finished my chocolate/candy class. So educational and fun! You have to take one of those classes that you told me about. You'd LOVE it.

28 April, 2006 16:32  
Blogger Catherine said...

Okay, I'm officially embarrassed to post my "results" (HAH!) after drooling over this spread! Jer and Kate, you both put me to shame. Love all the tapas ideas Kate. YUM!

I may try the tortilla one last time...my camera konked out on me on my second try--not that it was worth documenting! : (

Bend and flip!

I do have one little triumph to report...Elaine I made some candied grapefruit peel using the recipe you posted awhile back--delish!

29 April, 2006 23:41  
Blogger Jer said...

What a joy that you learned to flip with success. I love that you kept trying until it was right. Makes me want to try again tomorrow night! I think I will. How much o. oil did you use in your skillet? Was it a real thick layer? And how big/small was your pan? Lastly, with the chorizo (which sounds so yummy) did you prick the chorizo before placing in the cider? I think I will try that one too. Apple cider? Great tapas Kate!

30 April, 2006 23:11  
Blogger Kate said...

Jer Im not sure exactly how much oil I used. I started by skimping on the amount that Cath's recipe suggested when putting it back in the pan after frying the potatoes and onions. I am sure thats why my first flip stuck. So after the first flip I put more in, my friend told me not to be afraid to do this, she also said dont be suprised at the amount fat required.

Cath I too should also report a disaster..infact it was a double disaster. I loved the look of the coconut and lemon macarons tat Ashley and Jer did. I thought I would do them as a welcome home prresent for Greg after a business trip.
I started by roasting the coconut at 200 degrees farenheit instead of celsius. Duh!
I had some more coconut so I thought I would do it again. The coconut toasted perfectly this time. I was more contolled with my piping this time too and i had about forty halves ready. Once baked i tool them out of the oven. With previous macaroons i didnt have any problem getting them off the paper. but I didnt manage to get one off whole. I tried every suggestion that we posted to help, without success.

So the place smelt great for his return but with nothing to eat except a pot of unset lemon butter.

01 May, 2006 05:25  
Blogger Catherine said...

Oh dear! Well you have your pot of lemon butter and I have my pistachio (which has now been sitting in the fridge for two weeks I think!). I've been wanting to take another stab at the macaroons too but haven't worked up the courage! Elaine, didn't you have a trick for getting them off parchment? Brushing the back with water or something?

01 May, 2006 22:58  

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