(Egg)citing dish for a family breakfast

When I was 16 years old, I went to Barcelona, Spain for the first time and I fell in love with the culture and most importantly the food! Walking through El Mercado de la Boqueria, I witnessed the beauty of community, fresh ingredients, hard work, and a passion for serving. A distinct aroma accompanied each vendor I passed: freshly squeezed fruit juice, jamón ibérico, fresh seafood, and of course las tortillas españolas. Walking through the market felt like a maze; one could be lost in this food paradise for hours simply admiring. The hustle and bustle that was this market created for an exciting atmosphere!

My mother, always keen in the kitchen, developed her own take on a tortilla española. I decided to join her in making this wonderful breakfast dish. But boy was I in for a ride! I never knew how much sacrifice and hard work was put into making such a dish from chopping the potatoes into thin slices to flipping the tortilla. Cooking in the kitchen requires patience, team work, and of course a lot of love and passion!

La tortilla española is the perfect dish to prepare for a family brunch! Its delicate texture and taste will leave your guests wanting more.

TORTILLA ESPAÑOLA

Ingredients:

~1 cup of olive oil

6-7 large eggs

1 large yellow onion sliced thin

4 large potatoes thinly sliced

0.5 cups of parmigiano reggiano

0.5 cups of shredded mozzarella

Handful of fresh spinach

Optional: 1 serrano pepper sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

How to:

1. Heat oil and pan fry the potatoes, onions and serrano until tender, about 15 minutes. Leave the pan and the same oil aside.

2. Transfer potatoes and onions into a bowl. Crack the eggs in a separate bowl and whisk, the add the cheeses, and season with salt and plenty of pepper. Combine both the potato mixture and the egg mixture in the same bowl, and combine until all is fully incorporated.

3. Pour egg-potato mixture to pan again on low to medium heat. Let the tortilla cook on the bottom, about 8-10 minutes. While the tortilla is cooking on the pan, grab a spatula and make sure that the tortilla is does not stick to the pan. Add the spinach --or any greens that you enjoy--by laying it on the top of the tortilla. Once the tortilla is a full circle and cooked on the bottom side it's time to flip!

4. (You will want to be very careful doing this, and you may want to do it over the sink) Get a plate and place it over the tortilla. Then flip the tortilla onto the plate so that the cooked side is facing upward. Slide the tortilla onto the pan once again (the raw/uncooked side is now down and the cooked part is upward). Let cook for another 8-10 minutes, or util golden brown on the bottom.

5. Slide the tortilla onto a serving plate, let sit for about 5-10 min, and enjoy!