Among Mexicans and many Americans, the word ‘tortilla’ is commonly understood to be the type of corn or flour-based flat bread used to fill with things like rice, beans and meat. In Spain, however, ‘tortilla’ is more of a thick egg omelet, sometimes filled with things like shredded chicken and served as an appetizer or a sandwich on thick and hearty Spanish baguettes. When I was a student in Spain, my host mother used to make this very big sandwich every time I had a class excursion out of town. It was completely filling and nourished me on a day full of fun and adventure outdoors, but I never learned how to make it- just eat it!
That said, Spanish Tortilla is good cold and makes an excellent packed lunch or picnic dish. For party food, you can even cut a tortilla into squares and put toothpicks in each bite for people to serve themselves a tapa, or a snack.
Recently, I re-wrote the recipe with a better method than I’d been using. I saw an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown show where at a small Moroccan stall one man served it with mayo and ketchup slathered on top (which is actually quite good when you sub tomato sauce for the ketchup). I went back to my own recipe and revised- so much better than the first few times (even though the previous version was good, too).
Here you go…buen provecho!
