Tortilla de Alcachofas -- Artichoke Tortilla

I know what you might be thinking from the title, "mmmm, artichokes, like that spinach-artichoke dip that we eat as an appetizer in most American restaurants"  and, "tortilla, like the chips we dip into said starter."  Well, I have to say, "incorrect."  A tortilla in Spain has nothing to do with the tortilla you are used to seeing  as small chips or in flat, thin bread form used for tacos.  Today's lesson is about two of my favorite things mixed into one: Spanish tortillas and artichokes.

Tortilla in Spain refers to something similar to an omelette.  According to the Spanish Royal Academy, the institution responsible for regulating the Spanish language, the tortilla is a diminutive form of the word torta (a round cake).  The tortilla is defined and translated as "a round-shaped, fried mixture of beaten eggs and one or various other ingredients." The most famous tortilla in Spain is the tortilla española (or tortilla de patatas) which is a simple omelette made of eggs, potatoes, olive oil and salt.  These "Spanish omelettes" can also be filled with onions, peppers, chorizo, parsley, or various other ingredients.  The most common is the potato omelette made either with or without onions.  There are many other varieties of tortilla ranging from tuna or cod to zucchini or artichokes.  

The artichoke is frequently used in Mediterranean cuisine in a wide variety of dishes.  You can see it in its simplest form, used alone either boiled or fried, or mixed with other ingredients such as the tortilla that I am going to teach you to make today.  I think the fresh artichoke may be a bit rare in many Midwestern American kitchens.  I remember seeing its canned variety more than its fresh variety.  In my opinion, the preserved variety is very tasteless and industrial.  (I will save my ranting about using canned food for a later blog.)  Artichokes are a fountain of nutrition.  According to the United States Department of Agriculture, there are only 66 calories in each 100 grams of cooked, fresh artichokes.  It is very low in fat and high in fiber, folate, and vitamins C&K. I always use fresh artichokes.  At first they may seem difficult to cut with their bunch of thorny petals, but what lies beneath these hard, spiky petals is a delicious treasure.  

Now,  I will cut the chatter and get to the culinary instructions to help you uncover the hidden treasure that is the artichoke.  I am sure that when you uncover it you will enjoy this authentic Spanish dish.  ¡Buen provecho!

Equipment

• Frying pan
• Chopping board
• Spatula
• Plate

Ingredients

• 6 artichokes
• 4 - 5 eggs
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Olive oil
• Salt

Instructions

Take the outer petals off until you notice that the bottom part of the petals becomes a yellow-green color and the bottoms are no longer tough.  After that, chop off the hard spiky tops of the petals and then cut the stem from the bottom.  I divided each artichoke into eight pieces, but I think it would have been better to cut them into even smaller pieces.  Then to finish with the artichokes I always put them in a bowl of water so they let out some of their dark color and do not change to brown.

Heat oil in pan over medium heat.  Lightly crack the cloves of garlic with the flat part of the knife and peel off the skin.  Fry the garlic on all sides until golden brown and remove it from the pan (this is supposed to give garlic flavor to the oil, but I don' know if it works so well).  

Now add the artichokes and a pinch of salt.  Cook them until they are softer, 7 - 8 minutes.  Put them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain the oil a bit. 

Heat a bit more oil in the frying pan.  Beat the eggs well and add salt.  Mix the cooked artichokes with the eggs.  Add the mixture to the same frying pan and wait for the tortilla to start forming.  When you see that it is quite done on the bottom, take a large plate and flip the omelette to cook the other side (this can be quite difficult sometimes).  When the tortilla is finished on both sides it is ready.  

Y ya está, it's finished!  I recommend eating it as a starter with a bit of bread or as a side dish (or main dish) for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  Whatever you do, please do not put ketchup on it!

Oro Líquido -- Liquid Gold

For me, butter and olive oil have a strong rivalry and they have always tried to compete for my love with their respective charming qualities.  I have to admit that I have had a love-hate relationships with these two fatty condiments throughout my life.  When I first tried olive oil many years ago I thought it was too oleaceous and bitter.  My relationship with butter started much earlier and I viewed it as banal and overrated.  Years later I got to know olive oil better and stopped spending time with butter.  I fell too much in love with olive oil and refused to give space in my refrigerator shelf to butter.  As I started experimenting more with Mediterranean food I realized I missed butter a tad bit.  So, to solve this problem I saved him some space in the fridge and now use him to make great American desserts such as apple pie. 

I am no nutritionist, but I do know one thing for sure: olive oil is healthier than butter.  As I finish my fourth year here in Spain I see myself adapting to the olive oil culture more and more every day.  I see new ways to use olive oil instead of butter, or better yet, ways many Spanish people have been eating it for years.  The important thing is to find a good tasting extra virgin olive oil to use for cold dishes, and a cheaper olive oil for frying.  I've made a short list of some ideas I've learned from friends and students.  I actually use many of them in my own cooking.  


Propositions

• Toast with olive oil, sugar and cinnamon (one of my American/Spanish fusions)
• Toast with olive oil and jam (photo below)
• Oranges or tangerines mixed with a little olive oil and sugar.
• Top mixed vegetables with a mix of minced garlic fried in olive oil and a bit of sweet paprika.  (Don't fry the garlic for too long.  You're looking for a pale golden color)
• Boil potatoes and cauliflower and then top them with a good fresh extra virgin olive oil and a good vinegar (So simple, but so good!)

Toast with olive oil and sugar.  Toast with olive oil and strawberry jam.

Con lo que me apaño...

My pieces of the factory:

• Two year old toaster oven that my mom and aunts bought me when they came to visit.

• A motley group of frying pans full of scratch marks.  

• A paellera (paella pan)

• A round, glass cake mold that I use for baking almost everything.  I cherish it more than any other piece in the kitchen.

• Cheap, dull cutlery.

• A hand mixer and a hand blender.

• Various mismatched utensils.

Essentials in the pantry:

• Fair trade sugar.

• Pimentón dulce de la Vera (Spanish sweet paprika from La Vera region)

• Bay leaves

• Fresh garlic

• Cayenne Pepper

• Extra virgin olive oil

• Cinnamon

• Baking flour

• Baking powder

• Dry legumes: Beans, garbanzos, lentils (all with Spanish origin of course)

• Tuna packed in olive oil (I've realized that it tastes much better this way)

• Vinegars (Sherry, White Wine, Cream of Modena)

Other necessities:

• Free range eggs

• Butter

• Fresh fruit and vegetables

• Skim milk

• Greek yogurt

• Cod

Foreword

Thinking back on my earliest memories in life I can say that I have always loved to eat.  This passion for food always made me curious about cooking and trying new things.  I always wanted to cook homemade, elaborate dishes with things I never had access to.  Going from a chubby teen living in mid Missouri to an athletic twenty-something living in Spain, I feel that I am finally fulfilling my dream.  I am a cooking and baking machine who is living his lifelong aspiration.

Growing up in the Midwest region of the United States I was always sheltered from a truly eclectic mix of international and even national dishes.  Although I do like some Midwestern cuisine, I still see it as a modest, modernized version of something that was once delicious and traditional.  As a child I would beg to eat Chinese or Mexican food because it was the only 'exotic' alimentation I could get my chubby little hands on.  This lifelong search for new flavors put me on the right track for adolescent obesity.

As an obese teen, and later obese college student, I started experimenting with cooking.  As a teen I experimented with Chinese food, and what I thought were Chinese ingredients, but this adventure almost always ended in failure.  Years later, in my college days, I started eating even more due to my access to even more international flavors.  I also started developing my first real cooking techniques.  I went from sandwiches to pasta to salads and finally to desserts.

Then a trip to Spain in 2008 would change me forever.  I discovered a very traditional gastronomy and a healthy new lifestyle.  I returned to the states a few pounds lighter, and decided to change my life.  I became more confident and started losing my baby fat.  Now almost five years later I am living in Madrid, Spain, and I have left over a hundred pounds (50 kilograms) in the past.

Living on the Iberian Peninsula I have become accustomed to a more Mediterranean diet and an active lifestyle.  After residing here for almost four years I can narrow my cooking pleasures into two categories: traditional Spanish dishes and American desserts.  With this blog I would like to share many of those recipes that my American family, Spanish students and international friends continue to ask for.  

Please enjoy!  ¡Buen provecho!