Pepper Spanish Torta

PEPPER SPANISH TORTA

One of the things I love about cooking is getting inspiration from food I have enjoyed, made by someone else.   Spanish Tortas are Faye’s specialty. Faye lived in Spain for 4 years, so she has the Spanish Torta down pat.   Trust me when I say I have tried LOTS of her Tortas - all super yummy!  I decided to do a little research, added a few twists of my own, consulted with the pro (Faye!) and came up with my version, - a PEPPER SPANISH TORTA.

Our blog’s main focus is recipes that are baked, but in this recipe the oven is just used to finish off the recipe - under the broiler.  The broiler is a great tool for any cook; it can add color to the top of cookies, cook steaks to an exact degree of ‘doneness’ or bring a little crunch to a sprinkling of cheese.  In this recipe, the oven crisps and adds color to the cheese to make the torta taste like perfection. 

The Spanish have it right, breakfast all in one pan - Yummy thin potatoes, veggies, eggs and cheese.  What could be better? I tried this recipe out on my co-workers last week and it was definitely a hit. Even the ‘non-cooks’ in the group asked for the recipe -  always a confirmation something is delicious.

Happy Cooking Everyone!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

3 medium size Yukon potatoes  (not the big baking potatoes )

2 bell peppers ( I used 1 yellow and 1 orange)

1 medium onion

1 teaspoon dried thyme

6 large eggs

3 tablespoons whipping cream (you can substitute whole milk or half-half for the whipping cream)

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and pepper

½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Ingredients:

1.       Peel potatoes and slice into very thin slices  (about 1/8 inch) , set aside

2.       Chop pepper into squares (about ½ inch), and put into medium size bowl.

3.       Peel and chop onion into ¼ inch squares -  add to bowl of peppers. Stir until mixed.

4.       Use a 12 to 16 inch skillet that is oven safe and also has a lid.  A lot of the new skillet brands are made to go into the oven. 

5.       Melt the butter in the skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and stir until blended.

6.       Taking the potatoes, start laying the disks in a single layer until the bottom of the pan is covered with the potatoes. Sprinkle the top of the potatoes with the pepper and onion mixture, adding salt and pepper to taste.

7.       Repeat the process once more - potato layer, then pepper/onion mixture, then salt & pepper.

8.       Cover and set your timer for 5 minutes. Then, using a spatula, flip the potatoes (trust me, mine didn’t flip perfectly, just do the best you can J ).

9.       Set the timer again for 5 minutes and repeat process two more times.  Total cooking will be 20 minutes.

10.   After 20 minutes the vegetables will be soft.   Sprinkle top with the dried Thyme. Turn off stove and set aside to cool (about 10 minutes).

11.   While the veggies are cooling, in a large bowl, whisk the eggs and the cream.   Add salt and pepper to taste.

12.   Add the cooked vegetables to the egg mixture.   Stir gently until all the vegetables are coated with the egg mixture.

13.   Clean the Skillet or wipe it down.  Place skillet on stove at medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.  Heat thoroughly  -  about 1 minute. 

14.   Add the veggie and egg mixture to skillet. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese and cover.

15.   Cook for 10 minutes, covered. Do not stir. After 10 minutes the torta will be cooked - middle should be set - not jiggling.

16.   While the torta is cooking, set your oven to broil.

17.   When torta is done cooking on the stove top,  remove the lid and place the skillet in the oven for 2-3 minutes depending on your oven.  The top will start to bubble. When you start seeing the nice golden color, the torta is done.

18.   Remove from oven and serve warm.

***Note- you can actual make the first part of the recipe the night before (steps 1-10).    In the morning all you need to do is steps 13-18.  This is what I did for the early work party.