My Spanish grandmother was an absolutely fabulous cook! She could make anything taste fantastic. One of the dishes she would make often is a tortilla. Now, a Spanish tortilla is not like the Mexican tortillas you use for burritos, etc. A Spanish tortilla is basically an omelet or Italian frittata. Traditionally it’s made with thin slices of potato and onions fried in olive oil and covered with beaten eggs. But it wasn’t unusual for my grandmother to make it with leftovers like some chopped ham or my dad’s favorite, with sweet ripe plantains. My favorite was her tortilla with only sweet peas and onions. My hubby likes it with just potatoes and onions but I often sneak peas into there as well. When fridge cleaning, I may add asparagus, peppers, and whatever cheese I have handy. Also, my grandmother could, even at 80, flip a tortilla in a cast iron skillet. As strong as I am, I can’t do that now which is why my recipe bakes and broils the tortilla.

Ingredients

2 large potatoes, skin on, cut into small cubes (I like Yukon gold potatoes)
1 onion (either white or yellow)
1 cup frozen peas (microwaved to defrost)
6 large eggs
1/4 cup half and half (or milk, but not skim)
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
10 inch cast iron skillet (or some other ovenproof and stovetop proof pan)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees to prep it for final steps in making the tortilla.

Use about 3 tbsp olive oil in skillet and heat until oil is shimmering. Add potatoes and fry until browned. In a traditional Spanish tortilla with slices they don’t take them that far, but I prefer the browned potatoes.

Remove potatoes from oil and add onions. Salt the onions to help them soften. Cook until soft, but not browned.

While the onions are cooking, beat the eggs with the half and half. DO NOT SALT the eggs at this point (or when making scrambled eggs. Makes them too hard).

When onions are ready, add the peas and potatoes back into the skillet. If needed, add a little more oil so that eggs won’t stick.

Add eggs and make sure peas, potatoes, and onions are evenly distributed in the egg mix. Cook on the stove for about four or five minutes.

Remove from stove and place in the pre-warmed oven. Cook for about ten minutes and then broil until top is slightly toasty!

Hubby and I love cheese so we often will top the tortilla with cheese and then bake and broil it.

You can serve the tortilla either hot or cold. Having a party? Cut into cubes and skewer with toothpicks for an easy appetizer.

Also, like I mentioned before, a tortilla is a good way to use up leftovers. Ham. Tomatoes. Asparagus. Sweet potatoes. Peppers. I like mushrooms so I cook and add those. Maybe some Spanish chorizo (Mexican can be too spicy). Of course, cheese. Cheddar, blue cheese, Swiss, ricotta, mozzarella. Anything that melts well and that you like!

Make your tortilla your own! P.S. Want more tasty food inspirations? Try SOUTH BEACH LOVE to be motivated! You can download it at https://amzn.to/48xDjKD or sign up for my newsletter at https://bit.ly/CaridadsNewsletter and download a copy for free!

It was such a treat whenever my grandmother made papa rellenas for us! Funny thing is, it’s often a treat made from leftovers like the ones in the photo. The potatoes in that stuffed potato were from some “mashed browns” from PJ’s Pancake House. Normally the papa rellenas are made from plain boiled potatoes but I’ll tell you two little secrets about making them easier. For starters, bake or microwave the potatoes. That helps control the moisture (also true for making gnocchis). Second secret: have some instant mashed potato flakes handy. I also use them to thicken soups and sauces when needed instead of either corn starch or flour. Normally the potatoes are stuffed with picadillo which is a tasty ground beef with peppers, onions, olives, and tomato sauce. But feel free to make these your own! Substitute some Sloppy Joe mix. Maybe add some cheese. You name it. The hardest part is making the potato patty (unless you follow my two secrets). Another secret: You can totally air fry or bake these to make them healthier. Papa Rellenas were once only appetizers but are now usually served as a meal with rice on the side. Make a dip with mayochup or a remoulade. I use Yummy Yummy sauce because it’s so – lol – Yummy! P.S. This is totally the kind of recipe that the Gonzalez family from the South Beach Security series would have for a meal. To learn more about them, check out the first book in the series Lost in Little Havana. You can download it at https://amzn.to/48MZZ8U.

Ingredients

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (baked or boiled)
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp butter
2 cups picadillo (or other stuffing)
1-2 eggs, beaten
2 cups regular Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
1 cup regular Panko bread crumbs
Salt and pepper, to taste
Oil for frying

Directions

Make the picadillo or prep whatever other stuffing you want to use. I make the picadillo ahead and let it cool because it’s easier to handle and also not as wet when it’s cooled.

If you’re boiling the potatoes, peel, cook until fork tender, drain and mash. You may want to let the mashed potatoes cook a little more on the flame to dry them.

If you’re baking or microwaving, leave them in their skin, cook until fork tender, and then cool. Scoop out the insides and mash. Bonus: You can make something else with the potato skins.

Add the cornstarch and butter to the mashed potatoes and mix. The mix should be stiff enough to form a ball and if not, add those magical instant potato flakes. Oil your hands to make forming the patties and balls easier. Form a ball with the mashed potatoes and then flatten it into a patty a little larger than the palm of your hand.

Fill the center of the patty with your filling and then bring all the sides of the potato patty up and around the filling. Smooth out the ball, roll it around in the beaten egg, and then roll around in the bread crumbs (mixed regular and Panko), making sure that the entire surface is covered.

I air fry mine so I place them on the creased wire basket that goes with my toaster oven. I give all sides a spray with vegetable oil.

If you’re baking them, place on a greased baking tray, crank up your oven to 400 degrees and make sure you turn them about halfway through the bake (10 minutes or so).

If frying, heat the oil to about 350 and deep fry until golden brown.

I love to cook and if I have the time, I’ll be in the kitchen trying something new or whipping up an old favorite for my family. To share that love with you I’ve got an entire page on the website which has many of the recipes I’ve shared with you. You can find my Cook’s Treat page with all the recipes at bit.ly/CooksTreat. Since SOUTH BEACH LOVE has a lot of food going on as the two rival chefs try to outdo each other, I’m also sharing the recipes you might see in the book on bit.ly/SouthBeachLove. If you like to cook, I hope you’ll try out some of those recipes! Have a great weekend!

Original Pot Image by engin akyurt from Pixabay
Original Vegetable Board Image by TeeFarm from Pixabay

French Toast is one of my fav breakfast dishes, but what can you do to prep this when you have a crowd coming over? How about trying out one of these fabulous French Toast Casserole dishes? Most of these are prepped the night before so that gives you plenty of time in the morning to make my next fav breakfast food – bacon! LOL!

I love using challah or panettone in this recipe and you can also mix it up by using raisin bread! Yum!

Philadelphia Cream Cheese Puffy French Toast Casserole: http://bit.ly/2zIBUCA
Simply Recipes: http://bit.ly/2zLFITE
Food Network Baked French Toast Casserole with Maple Syrup: http://bit.ly/2zMuFJK
Taste of Home: http://bit.ly/2zMuJsY
All Recipes: https://armagazine.com/2zPSoc9

Hope you all have a great Friday and let me know if you try out any of these dishes. I’ll be making the Food Network one for this weekend!