Spanish Omelette-Catalan Style

A dear friend of mine, Anna, once invited the Indian and I to dinner.  She offered to cook for us.
Instantly I felt sorry for her.  What a momentous and impossible task to take on.  You see, she and her husband Andrew are vegetarians...While I am open to vegetarian and vegan cuisine, the Indian, sadly is not.  He is a die hard carnivore. And to make things worse, when she invited us to dinner (this was probably about 15 years ago, right Anna?) the Indian hadn't yet learned to enjoy ethnic food.  His idea of ethnic at that time was pizza.

I tried to dissuade her but she insisted that she wanted to cook us a meal.  So I told her the Indian's many, many, many restrictions...He doesn't eat shrimp, he doesn't eat vegetables, he doesn't like Asian food, he doesn't like anything green. he doesn't like raw onions, he doesn't eat salad, he doesn't like fish,  he doesn't like salads, he doesn't like....I think you get the point.  (Boy, has he come a loooooooong way since then!)  So with my heart full of dread and pity for her, we went to their house for dinner.

And Anna pulled off a miracle.

She made something vegetarian and something the Indian not only ate, but enjoyed! So simple yet incredibly delicious.

"What did she make?" you must be wondering by now.

She made for us a Spanish Omelette-Catalan style.

This was a whole new word for me.  Fifteen years ago, I had never had Catalan food or Spanish food, and never even heard the word tapas yet.  I adore trying new foods and learning about new cultures.  I learned from Anna about Catalonia.  Anna explained to me that first and foremost she was Catalan and then Spanish.

So without further ado, receta de tortilla a la catalana:

All you need (is love):

5-6 eggs

2-3 small potatoes

1 med or large onion

olive oil

salt and pepper

That's it!  That's all you need!

First, start by either scrubbing or peeling your potatoes.  I opted to leave the skin on.  I think it's good for you.  Why not?  Then I cut them into small, even pieces.  Why?  Keeping them the same size ensures even cooking time.  I cut them small because I remember what Mrs. Reeves taught me in high school science and created more surface area...If you're confused check out this beef stew recipe to read about the science behind surface area.   In the end, faster cooking time means I can eat this faster so win-win!

First I cut my potato into thin even slices like this:

Then I stack the slices back together and cut into strips:

Then I cut the other direction taking care to make even cuts:

Cut your onion into similar sized pieces.

In a medium to large sized NON-stick frying pan, add about 5 tablespoons of olive oil and heat over medium low heat.

Add your diced potatoes and onion.

Season with salt and pepper:

You will want to cook these potatoes and onion on medium low until potatoes are soft and your onion is translucent.  You don't want to crisp your potatoes or onion.  The point isn't to brown them.  If they get a little bit browned, that's okay.  But cook on medium low and keep stirring for even cooking.  If you want, you can march in place and get in some cardio while your standing there.  Just kidding.  (Maybe not.  My friends got me an UP band by jawbone for my birthday last year and I find myself doing crazy things to get more steps in.  You didn't hear it from me.)  It took about 20 minutes or so to cook the potatoes and onions.  

I used 5 eggs but probably should have used 6.

Add to a bowl or measuring cup.  I added a teeeeeny bit of cream because I had some and needed to use it up.  But your certainly don't need to.  I think the true Catalan style doesn't use milk or cream.  You want your egg to firm up and using more than a teeeeeny bit of cream or milk would make your omelette too soft and mushy.  But if you haven't caught on by now, I'll add fat any chance I can get! Adding a little bit will make your omelette fluffy.  Fluffy is good.

And because it works for me and I'm way faster with chopsticks, I used chopsticks to whip up my eggs.  You could use a fork and a whisk.

When your potato and onion saute is cooked, I use a spoon or spatula to even out the mixture in the frying pan.  You'll be pouring your egg mixture directly into the pan and over the potato and onion so try to make sure they are evenly spread around.  Add a little more oil if you think you might need to.

Pour eggs mixture and continue cooking on medium low.

I like to tip the pan around to help the eggs run to the edges and cook.

When the eggs are semi-set,  I use a spatula to help me transfer onto a plate.  Slide the omelette onto a plate making sure the cooked side is touching the plate.

This next step is kind of scary and takes commitment and quick work.  Take a deep breath, and flip your omelette back into the pan with the uncooked side down .  Or you can hold the plate in your hand, cover with the overturned frying pan and just turn the plate and pan over.  Return to heat.  Pry the plate off the top using a fork. Or spoon.  But not chopsticks.  HAHAHA.  Just kidding.  

If you mess it up, don't stress.  You can just mold it together and the egg will set nicely again  And if not, whateva!  Just eat it anyway. Another 5 minutes or so and your omelette should be done.  Slide on to a plate and cut into pieces like a pie.  You can eat warm or room temperature. 

When Anna made this for us, we ate it with toasted slices of baguette rubbed with ripe tomatoes and raw garlic, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt.  I learned later that this too is a very Catalan dish called pa amb tomàquet or in Spanish pan con tomate.  We also had a ton of fun making Caiparinha, which is the national cocktail of Brazil.  What a night!  Good food, good friends and good memories. 

Besos, Anna!  Muchas gracias for teaching me how to make these dishes and teaching me about your culture.  I love learning new things!

Speaking of learning new things, did you know there are two ways to spell omelette/omelet?  

According to Grammerist:

For the breakfast dish consisting of eggs that have been beaten, cooked until set, and folded over, American publications prefer omelet, and this is the spelling recommended by most American English reference sources. In all other main varieties of English, the French spelling, omelette, is preferred.

Click here to learn more.

I decided to spell it the French way....because this isn't a recipe for a breakfast omelet.  Although you could certainly eat it for breakfast.

Some things I learned over the years while making this dish: 

   -Don't rush and turn the heat up.  Your egg will get really brown and tough. 

   -The larger your skillet, the thinner your omelet will be.  You don't want it too thin.

   -Think plate size as the optimal size for your omelette.  Any larger and you'll have trouble flipping it.

   -Make more than one because it goes fast.

   -Sometimes simple makes the best food.

Oh,  you can also cut into bite sized squares and serve as appetizers.  Just skewer them with toothpicks and pass them around!

Annnnddddd,  in case you're wondering, the Indian's palate is much more developed now.  He'll eat seafood and even likes (some) Asian food.  And on occasion, he'll even eat a tofu scramble (I just tell him it's eggs).