Tortilla

Mr Gingerbreadmans Cousin Oscar loves a bargain. Every now and again I get a sudden glut of one ingredient - this week it was eggs. 20 arrived in my kitchen yesterday with a short expiry date. Tortilla day it is then. Working lunch for Breadman Snr for two days, Sunday lunch for us and the Builders and leftovers eaten by JammyMummy when she popped in later. After all Tortilla or Spanish Omelet is the Spanish equivalent of the Cornish Pasty. A wedge would go to work in the pocket of most agricultural workers for lunch. My mother- in-law taught me how to make this, thus its the Andalusian traditional version. However, I prefer it with bacon, and to give the kids a more balanced meal it gets a few veggies thrown in for good measure. 

That said Tortilla is a good all rounder, a versatile a main course with salad or green beans. Cut it into wedges and top with a cocktail stick and you have a great orderve. It makes a popular addition to the party buffet as well. 

Tortilla

Ingredients
1 medium onion
3 medium (or about 300g) of potatoes
Glug of olive oil
5 large eggs
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
There are a few ways to make tortilla. This is the lower calorie version.
Peel and chop the potatoes in half then thinly slice*. Prepare the onion by cutting in half and slicing into thin half moon shapes. Put together in a bowl and microwave until the potatoes are cooked**. Drain well to remove as much liquid as possible.
Crack the eggs into a large bowl and mix, season to taste. Add the potato and onion and mix thoroughly ensuring the potatoes are covered in the egg mix.
Warm a glug of olive oil in a frying pan and add the contents of the bowl.  A small deep sided frying pan is best as it gives a lovely deep tortilla. Cook on a low to medium heat. You want to cook it through yet avoid burning the bottom. Be patient, you want a lovely flavoursome, moist tortilla as pale as possible, which means a slow cook.
To cook the top half some people flip the tortilla when its firm - I prefer to pop it under the grill on quite a low heat. If you do opt to flip, put a plate over the pan, hold it firmly and flip it onto the plate. Pop another plate on top (like a tortilla sandwich) and turn them over. Then put the pan over the tortilla and flip. After all that you  have a successful flip. Or you can put it under the grill and save dirtying two plates.
The tortilla is cooked when it is form and no liquid appears when you gently press the top.

*Mr Gingerbreadman prefers the potatoes cubed and onions chopped smaller. We agree to differ. 

** high calorie version, put into a pan, cover in olive oil and fry gently for about 20 minutes until cooked. Drain and mix with egg.