Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Tortilla Española

This typical Spanish recipe was given to me by an English friend who calls Spain her home. Nothing beats a properly cooked tortilla. Except maybe Jamon Iberico de Bellota! ;)


Ingredients:
5 big potatoes
1 Spanish onion
4 large or 5 small eggs
Olive Oil
Salt

Preparation:
1.) Peel and slice the potatoes into fairly thin "rounds"
2.) Do the same with the onion.
3.) In a non stick frying pan pour a generous amount of olive oil (spanish is better ;)
4.) Heat gently and add the potatoes and onions. The idea is to kind of "boil" the potatoes in the oil rather than fry them violently.
5.) Meanwhile lightly beat the eggs.
6.) When the potatoes and onions are nice and soft and a little brown (if preferred), then drain them and add straight into the bowl with the eggs. Mix quickly and return to the pan. There should be enough olive oil left in the pan to cook it.
7.) When the eggs have set on one side and the mixture feels firm you can then flip the tortilla over onto a plate and return to the frying pan to cook the other side.
8.) Eat warm or cold with crusty baguette and a glass of tinto!

You can also add spinach, ham, peppers or whatever takes your fancy.

Que aproveche!

Monday, January 14, 2013

Blueberry Pancakes

These are my son's favourite. The recipe was given to me by an Japanese-American friend in Paris. We'll be thinking of you in Istanbul. ;)


Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour Bio Type 65
2 Tbsp Sugar
4 tsp baking powder(1 sachet levure chimique)
1/3 tsp salt
2 beaten eggs
2 cups milk
4 Tbsp cooking oil
Frozen blueberries
White chocolate chips or 1/2 a bar of Lindt white chocolate chopped up.
Pumpkin pie spice or Pain d'Epice Spice

Preparation:
1) Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add pumpkin pie spice with the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center.
2) Combine eggs, milk and oil and add this to the flour mixture at once. Stir JUST UNTIL MOISTENED. The batter should be lumpy.
3) Spread batter on lightly buttered, hot frying pan. Place blueberries and white chocolate chips on the pancake as soon as you pour the batter into the pan. Flip over when pancakes have a bubbly surface and are dry on the edges.