{"id":238,"date":"2011-02-03T06:36:04","date_gmt":"2011-02-03T06:36:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/?p=238"},"modified":"2011-02-04T01:35:30","modified_gmt":"2011-02-04T01:35:30","slug":"culinary-lies-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/?p=238","title":{"rendered":"Culinary Lies: Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\"\"<\/a>\n\t

Tortilla Espanola<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

From that very first morning of Andrew\u2019s arrival when he announced to me that he didn\u2019t like pancakes, I knew I needed a strong culinary plan.\u00a0 I had seen family and friends deal with the very same issue on many occasions, and I knew what the consequences could be if I didn\u2019t act swiftly.\u00a0\u00a0 Parents who I had seen brilliantly forge through illness and injuries would helplessly fall to their knees at the first \u201cI don\u2019t like\u201d that came our of their child\u2019s mouth.\u00a0 Four- and five-year-old children were easily taking over the kitchen and holding parents hostage for years with a diet of dinosaur chicken and even worse, McDonald\u2019s.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I was determined not to succumb to a similar fate.<\/p>\n

As I stood there on that fateful first morning staring into the eyes of an oncoming parental battle that looked a little too much like \u201cCindy Lou Who\u201d asking the Grinch why he\u2019s taking the tree, a flash of brilliance suddenly came to me and I was momentarily blinded by this heavenly inspiration:\u00a0 I would lie!<\/p>\n

It came out so easy.\u00a0 So perfectly.\u00a0 So naturally.<\/p>\n

I stood there like Seuss\u2019 Grinch and with the same fake \u201cSanti Claus\u201d voice, I cooed, \u201cWell, Andrew, if you don\u2019t like pancakes, I\u2019ll just make you flapjacks instead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are flapjacks?\u201d\u00a0 Andrew asked, without even a hint of suspicion.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, it\u2019s a secret recipe that my grandmother used to make for us.\u00a0 It\u2019s been in the family for over a hundred years.\u00a0\u00a0 This sleight of hand worked.\u00a0 It\u2019s true that my grandmother\u2019s flapjacks were sufficiently different from Aunt Jemima\u2019s (for the recipe see (Dad\u2019s Buttermilk Pancakes, January 2011) that the lie didn\u2019t seem too far fetched. Pancakes were now flapjacks and I could continue as planned.<\/p>\n

The next \u201cI don\u2019t like\u201d almost broke my will: onions.\u00a0 I know enough about children\u2019s development to understand that onions could very well be overwhelming to the highly sensitive child\u2019s palette.\u00a0 However, I use onions in just about everything I cook.\u00a0 I couldn\u2019t imagine an onion furlough and refused to succumb to offering a children\u2019s menu every night.<\/p>\n

But no matter how small I cut up the onions for a particular dish, Andrew would find the tiniest piece, pick it out, and not want to eat the rest.\u00a0 I resorted to putting the onions in the Cuisinart and processing them to a watery puree.\u00a0 This worked well enough for some dishes, but not all.\u00a0 One such dish was Tortilla Espanola, a kind of potato and onion frittata that I learned to make while living in Spain.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Again, a blessed lie saved the day.<\/p>\n

Andrew walked in while I was making this dish and asked, \u201cDoes it have onions in it?\u201d<\/p>\n

A small drop of sweat forming on my brow, I stuttered, \u201cUh, no.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure?\u201d he demanded.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, why would I lie to you?\u201d another bead of sweat forming.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen what are those?\u201d he asked pointing to a pile of chopped onions.<\/p>\n

Cue the music, \u201cYou\u2019re a mean one, Mr. Grinch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suddenly my demeanor turned sickly sweet as I \u201cthought up \u201canother\u2019\u2019 lie and thought it up quick.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThose aren\u2019t onions, my dear,\u201d again in that special Grinch voice.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re shallots,\u201d I said, quickly picking up a smallish shallot I had nearby.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, okay,\u201d he said and, unbelievably, went off to play Lego\u2019s.<\/p>\n

Well, the floodgates were opened and I soon started exchanging leeks, shallots, scallions, and chives for everything.\u00a0 I showed him what they all looked like and told him they looked just like onions when they were cut up.\u00a0 Soon I was using onions daily and moreover, he was eating them.<\/p>\n

It was a couple of years later when Andrew found what he had determined to be an onion in something we were eating.\u00a0 He pulled it out and pushed it to the side.<\/p>\n

I looked at him and asked, \u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like onions,\u201d came his quick reply.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, for heaven\u2019s sake, Andrew.\u00a0 You have been eating onions almost everyday for two years.\u00a0 You like onions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAndrew, shallots are onions.\u00a0 Scallions are onions.\u00a0 Leeks are onions.\u00a0 Even our chive plant is a type of onion,\u201d I finally confessed.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSeriously.\u00a0 I\u2019m not lying.\u201d\u00a0 Well, at least not this time, I thought.<\/p>\n

He sat there for a moment contemplating this new reality.\u00a0\u00a0 He slowly started eating his dinner.\u00a0 He ate all the onions.\u00a0\u00a0 Fait accompli.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0Andrew is an onion eater.\u00a0 Even raw onions.<\/p>\n

____________________________________________<\/p>\n

\n\t\"\"<\/a>\n\t

Tortilla Espanola<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

We make so many dishes with onions so choosing one that defines our dinners is hard.\u00a0 However, Tortilla Espanola is something we eat at least a couple of times a month.\u00a0 This is what I would call good fast food.\u00a0 It uses few ingredients and I can get it on the table in about 45 minutes.\u00a0 We usually pair it with big thick sausages that we make or buy from our local farmers\u2019 market, and finish it off with a light salad and bread.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to believe that something this delicious could have so few ingredients.\u00a0 Use the best ingredients you can find to make it truly memorable.\u00a0\u00a0 One word of caution, however, Spaniards would never refrigerate Tortilla Espanola.\u00a0 Instead, they leave it out on a shelf to be eaten the next morning.\u00a0 It\u2019s even better then.\u00a0 We don\u2019t refrigerate ours either, but if you must, let it come to room temperature before serving it.<\/p>\n

If you ask 1000 Spaniards for the \u201cauthentic\u201d tortilla recipe, you will get 1000 recipes.\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019ve tried about all the recipes out there to compare. \u00a0One’s “favorite” of a category is often tied up with our earliest memories of it and my favorite is no different. \u00a0Here\u2019s how I was taught to make an authentic Tortilla Espanola 25 years ago as a student in Spain.<\/p>\n

The recipe:<\/p>\n

3 medium potatoes (medium larger as opposed to medium smaller.\u00a0 I like Yukon Gold, but any will do)<\/p>\n

1 medium to large onion, sliced<\/p>\n

6 large eggs<\/p>\n

1 \u00bd to 2 cups olive oil (see note) 1 \u00bd teaspoons salt<\/p>\n

\u00bd teaspoon freshly ground pepper<\/p>\n

Chicken stock (optional)<\/p>\n

Slice the potato in half lengthwise and then each half into a quarter.\u00a0 Now slice the potato crossways in about \u00bc\u201d slices.\u00a0 Relax.\u00a0 Don\u2019t measure – this is approximately.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Heat the oil in a pan large enough to hold the potatoes and onions over medium high.\u00a0 The oil should just about cover the potatoes.\u00a0 Once the oil begins to boil again, turn down to medium and gently fry until soft, but not brown.\u00a0 Pour everything into a colander that has been placed over a bowl.\u00a0 You want to save the oil.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

While the potato\/onion mixture is draining, whisk the eggs with the salt and pepper.\u00a0 You can add a touch of chicken stock if you have it, but it\u2019s optional.\u00a0\u00a0 Pour the potatoes into the egg mixture and mix thoroughly.\u00a0 Let rest for about 15 minutes.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Over medium-high heat, heat an 8- or 9-inch nonstick skillet with about 2 tablespoons of the leftover oil.\u00a0\u00a0 Pour the mixture into the pan and turn the heat to medium low.\u00a0 You want the tortilla to cook without scorching the bottom.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Here comes the part that keeps people from trying it.\u00a0 It shouldn\u2019t.\u00a0 It\u2019s very easy.<\/p>\n

Once the tortilla has started to brown (about 10 minutes), it will still be very loose on top.\u00a0 Don\u2019t worry.\u00a0\u00a0 Using kitchen mitts, place a plate over the pan and holding the plate tightly in place, flip the tortilla onto the plate.\u00a0\u00a0 Wipe out the pan, put a bit of oil in it and slide the tortilla back into the pan.\u00a0 Cook until a knife inserted into the tortilla comes out clean.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Use the plate trick one more time to get the tortilla out of the pan.\u00a0 It can be served hot, but it\u2019s at its best after it sits for a while and even more amazing for breakfast the next day.<\/p>\n

Serve it alone or with a sauce.\u00a0\u00a0 The recipe for Smoked Poblano Chile Sauce (see Crazy Chicken: An Antidote to Teenage Surliness) works well, and if you exchange sweet red bells for poblanos you will get an ideal match for Tortilla Espanola.<\/p>\n

Provecho!<\/p>\n

Note:\u00a0 Some people will shy away from this because of the amount of oil.\u00a0 I use an inexpensive Spanish olive oil and after the oil has drained, I strain it and return it to the bottle.\u00a0 I keep the bottle in the fridge and reuse it many times.\u00a0 I have to add some oil from time to time and have not had it go bad yet.\u00a0\u00a0 You can try to do this with less oil, but using more than less allows for quick and even cooking.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From that very first morning of Andrew\u2019s arrival when he announced to me that he didn\u2019t like pancakes, I knew I needed a strong culinary plan.\u00a0 I had seen family and friends deal with the very same issue on many occasions, and I knew what the consequences could be if I didn\u2019t act swiftly.\u00a0\u00a0 Parents […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-238","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-recipes"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=238"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":251,"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/238\/revisions\/251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/feedingandrew.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}