The tortilla de patatas or tortilla española - Spanish potato omelet - is probably about the most nourishing and filling food I know.
Made with yummy cooked potato, this weighty, juicy omelette is good to eat hot, cold, on its own, in a sandwich, on a cocktail stick dipped in mayonnaise or ketchup, or cut into cubes and thrown into a salad.
It is surprisingly tricky to get right though. Here, my first blog guest Jose, the tortilla ninja, shares how to make a tortilla perfecta.
Ingredients
3 Large potatoes
1 Large onion
4 Eggs (medium size)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Utensils
Non-stick frying pan (approx. 25 cm diameter)
Sieve
Knife and chopping board
A large plate that will cover the frying pan
Instructions
1. Peel and chop the potatoes and the onion, mix in a bowl with two pinches of salt.
2. Fry the potato and onion in 2-3cm olive oil, medium heat, stirring constantly until they are soft and have sunken into the oil. Never let them fry crispy.
3. Once cooked, drain the oil from the potato and onion mix using a sieve. (Make sure you collect the oil in a bowl and dispose of it safely - never pour cooking oil down the sink.)
4. Whisk the eggs. Put the cooked potato and onion into the eggs, mix well.
5. Wash and dry your pan, place it on medium heat, pour in a about a table spoon of olive oil.
6. Pour in the tortilla mix and cook for 2-4 minutes, or until the bottom half is cooked. The idea is for the tortilla to be moist (not over cooked and dry), yet the bottom needs to be sufficiently solid to hold the tortilla together when it's flipped.
7. Once tortilla has cooked on one side, flip it over. For this, take a large plate. Put it over the top of the pan. Holding the plate firmly in place with one hand, tip the pan upside down so the tortilla ends up on the plate. Slide the tortilla back into the pan, soggy side down. (This can be difficult. If it goes wrong, be prepared to eat your tortilla scrambled, it'll be just as tasty.) Cook for a further 2-4 minutes, or until firm. Again, don't be tempted to over cook.
And there we are. Tip onto a plate and tuck in. ¡Buen provecho!
* * *
Rock musician by night, hard working family man by day and the world's best dad 24/7 - that's my husband José.
Although his roots are in Malaga, José spent his childhood in Cadiz. He loves to reminisce about the long drives from Cadiz to Malaga to see family during the holidays, with mum, dad, his two brothers, baby sister and grandma all stuffed into in a Renault 5. And one occasion, a live turkey in the footwell. (The feathered passenger ended up on the Christmas table.)
When not working or spending time with Felix and me, Jose can be found in his "cave" playing guitar, preparing for a gig.
For this month's guest post, Jose answered a few questions for our readers:
Q: If you had to cook for Gwyneth Paltrow, what would you make her?
José: Tortilla, of course! And rabo de toro.
Q: When would you say it's OK to lie?
José: It's a very deep question. I'd need to think about it.
Q: If you were a character from ‘Lost,’ which one would you be?
José: Said.
Q: What are you wearing right now?
José: Pyjamas.
Q: If you could have any super power, what would it be?
José: Time travel.
You can find out more about Jose and his music on shamrockspain.yolasite.com.
Here's how to make some really cute baby socks for your newborn.
Materials
- 1 x ball of cotton yarn
- 5 x 3mm or 4mm needles (the smaller the needles = the smaller the stitch = the smaller the sock)
- a yarn sewing needle (for finishing off the toe)
- a crochet needle and some ribbon for decorating
KnittingKey
K - knit
P - purl
S - slip stitch
ST = stockinette stitch
tog = together
skp = slip one, knit one, then pass the slip stitch over the knitted stitch
Instructions
1. Start by casting on 32
2. Knit one row and divide 8 stitches each onto 4 needles
3. To create a ribbed stem for your sock, work in a "knit 2, purl 2" pattern for 18 rows
4. Heel: K18 , then turn making sure 14 stitches remain on needles). You can work the stitches onto two needles now for ease. Knit 18 ST for 12 rows. Ending with P row.
5. To turn the heel:
K11, skp, turn (you should have 5 stitches left on needle)
S1, P4, P2tog, turn around (5 left )
S1, K4, skp, turn (4 left)
S1, P4, P2tog, turn (4 left)
S1, K4, skp, turn (3 left)
S1, P4, P2tog, turn (3 left)
S1, K4, skp, turn (2 left)
S1, P4, P2tog, turn (2 left)
S1, K4, skp, turn (1 left)
S1, P4, P2tog, turn (1 left)
S1, K4, skp, turn (on the last stitch, simply lift the existing stitch onto the needle without stitching it)
S1, P4, P2tog, turn (on the last stitch, simply lift the existing stitch onto the needle without stitching it)
6. Foot: Knit across the 6 heel stitches, and then carry on by creating 7 new stitches up the side of the heel. Knit 14 stitches across the front of the sock (these are the ones that are still on the needles). Pick up another 7 new stitches up the other side of the heal — you should have 34 stitches on your needles in total now. In continuation, you can work these onto 4 needles for comfort. Place a safety pin at this stitch, eg. so you know where the start of a round is. Then:
K12, K2tog, K 12, skp, K6
Knit round
K11, K2tog, K 11, skp, K6
Knit round
K10, K2tog, K10, skp, K6 - You should now have 28 stitches on your needles
Knit 9 rounds
7. Toe: decrease the sock into a pointed toe as follows:
K7, K2tog, K1, skp, K9, K2tog, K1, skp, K2 - you should now have 24 stitches left
Knit one round
K6, K2tog, K1, skp, K7, K2tog, K1, skp, K1 - you should now have 20 stitches left
Knit one round
K5, K2tog, K1, skp, K5, K2tog, K1, skp, K0 - you should now have 16 stitches left
Knit one round
K4, K2tog, K1, skp, K3, K2tog, K1, skp - now just slip the last stitch, knit the first stitch of the next round, then pass the slip stitch over . - you should now have 12 stitches left on the needles.)
8. Close: The toe is now ready, there are 3 stitches on each of the four needles. Join the 3 top and 3 bottom stitches together using kitchener stitch. Then using a large sewing needle, pull yarn through the 3 side stitches on each side, and pull tightly, knot and sew in the ends.
9. Finish: Turn the booties inside out to show the "good side".
10. Decorate: using a crochet needle, crochet a simple chain of six stitches at a time, attaching the sixth stitch in the middle of each sock stem groove. To finish, use the sewing needle to work some ribbon through the ankle, again using the sock cuff grooves as a guide.
The tortilla de patatas or tortilla española - Spanish potato omelet - is probably about the most nourishing and filling food I know. 
1. Peel and chop the potatoes and the onion, mix in a bowl with two pinches of salt. 
Although his roots are in Malaga, José spent his childhood in Cadiz. He loves to reminisce about the long drives from Cadiz to Malaga to see family during the holidays, with mum, dad, his two brothers, baby sister and grandma all stuffed into in a Renault 5. And one occasion, a live turkey in the footwell. (The feathered passenger ended up on the Christmas table.) 
