A Little Spanish Tortilla

The best reason (for me at least) to cook a new recipe is when friend's are having people over! This weekend is Market Days, one of the biggest street festivals in Chicago and the country! A friend recently moved right near the festival so decided to have people over to both see her new apartment and enjoy the festival!

I decided my contribution would be Spanish Tortilla Bites from The Kitchen Sink Recipes. I originally planned to make this recipe last week for book club because it can be made the day before, but then time got in the way and I didn't. Anyway I finally got to make it and I must say it was great!

Ingredients:
1 bunch scallions (which I found out is really only ONE scallion as opposed to just a bunch)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 pound or 4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
9 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream (I used light sour cream)
5 oz Manchego cheese, coarsely grated

Directions:
Prepare all ingredients as mentioned above - chop, dice, peel, grate, etc.
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat to 400 degrees F.
Finely chop white and green parts of scallions and reserve separately.
Lightly oil a 13x9-inch baking pan or dish.

Heat oil in a 12-inch skilled over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook onions, garlic, white parts of scallions, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper, stirring occasionally, until onions are golden, about 6 minutes.
Reduce heat to moderate, then stir in potatoes and cover skillet.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.
Transfer mixture to a large bowl and cool slightly.

Whisk together eggs, sour cream, cheese, scallion greens, and 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper in a bowl, then pour into baking pan.
Sprinkle potato mixture over eggs (some potatoes will stick out).
Bake until custard is set, about 20 minutes.
Cool in pan on a rack to warm or room temperature.
Trim 1/2 inch off each side, then cut tortilla into squares.

Since I made it the day before, I trimmed off the sides then let it cool completely uncovered then covered it and stuck it into the fridge and cut it into squares today. It tastes great cold, but you can also reheat (set oven to 325 deg F) or serve at room temperature.

(right out of the oven)

The verdict - GREAT SUCCESS! I found the key to this recipe being preparing all the ingredients before I actually start cooking, i.e. chopping/grating/peeling, etc. I often find myself trying to do those things as I'm reading down the directions and it just doesn't work. So that first line in the directions is from my experience.

The manchego cheese gives the perfect punch and I think this is a great recipe for a breakfast dish or a regular appetizer. I cut mine into about 22 squares, which makes it about 2 pts per piece. However, I probably could've cut them smaller and made them more bite-like. All in all definitely a keeper!

Small Successes

I'm realizing that this resolution is actually serving a greater purpose - getting me to cook more in my every day life. As I've posted before, since deciding to cook at least two new recipes a month I've found myself cooking more in general, even if it's not specifically a new recipe.

For example, lately for dinner I'm taking the time to cook a meal. Last week I again made that standard stir fry, but it's so good and so easy! I added some soy sour cream and avocado to a handful of veggies (mushrooms, broccoli slaw, red and green peppers, onion, asparagus) that I had sauteed.

Another night I took a recipe I found and used it as a blueprint. This Mushroom Lover's Grilled Cheese recipe from The Pink Apron sounded excellent! I took the idea and altered it quite a bit using whole wheat pita bread, regular white button mushrooms, avocado, tomato, and some jalapeno jack yogurt cheese from Trader Joe's (which sounds weird, but is so delicious)! It was a quick and easy (and semi low point) meal and I would've never thought to throw it together if I hadn't started this resolution.

All in all I think this New Year's Resolution is turning out to be what all of them are supposed to be - successful, true, helpful. It's tangible and I'm actually seeing results!