Fagan Eats Paleo Recipe: Tortilla Espanola with Roasted Jalapeno and Cilantro

A slice of magic.  

This recipe is 13 years in the making.  Yep.  That's right.  And I think this might be the recipe I am the most proud of.  Ever.  Let me explain.

In 2001, I studied abroad in Granada, Spain.  It was my first time leaving the country.  While I studied there, I stayed with a host family.  Our senora, Carmen, cooked three meals for us every day.  It was a glorious time.   I also gained 10 - 15 pounds because her cooking was amazing.

University of Delaware, Study Abroad in Granada, Spain--Circa 2001.

Beautiful Granada, Spain. 

So, one of the common dishes Carmen used to make and you could get just about anywhere in Spain was called tortilla.  Here, it's known as Tortilla Espanola or a Spanish Omelette.  We're not talking about a Mexican-type flour or corn tortilla.  This is an egg, potato and onion dish that is commonly served at lunch or as a tapa.  It's the go-to dish for Spaniards when they need to make dinner on the fly or they need to bring a dish to a picnic.  It is generally believed that General Tomas de Zumalacarregui popularized Tortilla Espanola in Spain because it was an easy, nutritious dish that helped satisfy the troops during the Carlist Wars in 1800's.

So, the thing about Tortilla Espanola is that it isn't baked like a frittata or a quiche.  It's made entirely in a skillet, which means at some point during the cooking process, you've got to figure out how to flip that thing.  Fear of flipping kept me from doing it for many years.  This week, however, I took a really low-key cooking class on how to make Spanish Tapas.  I finally learned how to flip a tortilla!  And guess what?!  It really isn't as big a deal as you might think.  

I have created a Paleo version of the Tortilla Espanola.  I used white sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes and added cilantro and roasted jalapenos.  So delicious.  The regular version of tortilla uses just potato and onions.  Green peppers, ham, tuna, and chorizo (Spanish) are common additions though.  It's an extremely versatile dish.  Delicious served with aioli.  I hope you all enjoy!  

The finished product.  Yum.

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Tortilla Espanola with Roasted Jalapeno and Cilantro

by Jamie Miller

PRINT    EMAIL    TEXT   PREP: 20-30 MINUTES COOK: 20-30 MINUTES Serves 6 Keywords: fry appetizer breakfast entree side snack paleo soy-free low-carb eggs sweet potatoes Mediterranean Spanish

This is a recipe for Tortilla Espanola or a Spanish Omelette made Paleo-style. It's made using white sweet potatoes, roasted jalapenos and cilantro.

Ingredients 1 medium hannah sweet potato, sliced into thin, small slices (for even quicker cooking) 1 yellow onion, chopped into small pieces 4 pastured eggs 2 medium roasted jalapenos, chopped 2 T fresh cilantro, chopped 3/4 c to 1 cup olive oil (not extra virgin olive oil--go with the cheaper stuff here) salt and pepper

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Instructions

• Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium or medium low heat. It the pan starts smoking, turn the heat down.
• Add the sweet potato and the onion to the frying pan. There should be enough oil that it should be up to about 3/4 of the sweet potato/onion mixture. Cook until soft but do not let the mixture brown.
• While the sweet potatoes and onions are cooking, beat the 4 eggs in a bowl until the eggs are frothy (until bubbles appear).
• When the sweet potatoes/onions are finished cooking, turn off the heat and remove. Take a slotted spoon and scoop the mixture into a separate medium-sized bowl. You can save the olive oil for later usage.
• Add salt and pepper and the roasted jalapenos and cilantro to the bowl with the sweet potatoes. Then add the beaten egg mixture and mix together. The mixture should be soupy. If there isn't enough egg, you can always add another one.
• Heat on medium/medium low, an 8" frying pan with some of the reserved oil left over from cooking the sweet potatoes (probably about a half tablespoon). When the pan and oil are hot, add the mixture into the pan.
• Remember, if you see smoke turn the heat down!
• The egg mixture needs to cook for about 3 to 5 minutes before flipping. You can see if it's ready to flip by taking a fork to the side of the pan and gently lifting it to see if it's lightly browned on the bottom. When it is lightly browned on the bottom it's ready to flip.
• Take the pan off the heat and put a flat plate (larger than the frying pan) over the top of the frying pan. Hold the plate to the pan and flip over so that the tortilla is on the plate now. Be very careful when doing this because you are working with a hot pan.
• If need be, you can add a little bit more oil to the frying pan. Then slide the tortilla into the frying pan (uncooked side should now be on the bottom of the frying pan).
• Continue cooking for about 3 to 5 more minutes until cooked through. Slide the tortilla around in the pan so that it doesn't stick. You can cook to your liking--runny or cooked through.
• When finished cooking, flip over again on a plate and let it rest for a few minutes before serving. Commonly, tortilla is served at room temperature in Spain.
• Enjoy!