Tapas Makes For Good Eats In Spain
June 19, 2003

Seville, Spain. ¡Hola from glorious Sevilla! The city that gave birth to opera legends Carmen, Don Juan, and Figaro runs full throttle on pure passion all day, everyday. I am visiting this exquisite wonderland to travel with our seventeen-year-old, an exchange student in the Andulusia region. Kate is my food muse, and I've missed her appetite and enthusiasm greatly these past five months. We are making up for lost time by eating our way through Spain, our palates providing a magic carpet for discovery and pleasure. The Sevilla tapas bars are the most fun and reasonable way to eat as we absorb big doses of the spicy Castilian culture. The tapas tradition began when a small plate was placed upon bar drinks to keep the flies out. Happily this practice evolved into three delectable bites appearing on the plate, the offering just about any kind of yummy: batter fried squid, prawns with white beans in veal sauce, sherry and garlic steamed clams, Bellota ham, aged Manchego cheese, spicy grilled chorizo (sausage), olives, chickpeas with spinach, or even cola de toro (stewed oxtail). When the barman barks "Digame" ("tell me!") be ready with a rapid response or starve. I defer to fluent Kate to handle the tapas order. Among the vast array she spots her favorite traditional dish, Tortilla Español, a simple, earthy potato pie that is eaten with the same frequency and gusto that we typically consume pizza or frites. More like a potato omelet, it is classic tapas eaten with ketchup and mayo. ¡Buen Provecho!

Tortilla Español
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Mince 3-4 garlic cloves. Dice a medium sized onion and sauté in olive oil for 5 minutes until lightly browned. Thinly slice 4-6 potatoes and place half in an oiled cast iron pan or round baking dish. Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper and half of the cooked onion and minced garlic. Repeat process pressing down lightly on the potatoes. Place in hot oven and cook for 18 minutes. Sprinkle ½ cup of a favorite cheese over the dish and bake for 15-18 minutes more. Slice like a pie and serve on small plates, tapas style.

Kim Dannies is a graduate of La Varenne Cooking School in France. She lives in Williston, VT with her husband, Jeff, and three college–aged daughters who come and go. ©2008