FROM TAPAS TO PINCHOS,
A SPANISH TORTILLA IS JUST RIGHT

The Basque Country, in northern Spain, features quintessential Mediterranean cooking. Most Basque dishes feature a few healthy ingredients, including tomatoes, onions, peppers, and olive oil. Typically, Basque cooking is simple. Most dishes are sauteed, stewed or roasted. While other Spaniards eat tapas, Basques serve pinchos. Both are enjoyed in bars, often with wine or beer, before lunch or dinner. The main difference is that tapas can be anything served in small portions (and often eaten with a spoon or fork), from sliced cheese to one quail or clams in green sauce, while pinchos are always food to pick up with your fingers or on a toothpick. (Pincho means "to prick".)

Whether you are in the Basque Country eating pinchos or further south having tapas, tortilla de patata, also known as tortilla Espaņola, is both a classic and a favorite. I grew up eating potatoes and eggs, but until I sampled this tortilla on my first trip to Spain, I had no idea how extraordinary this combination could be.

In Spain, tortillas are always a kind of omelet. They have nothing do with the flour or corn tortillas of Mexico; both simply come from the same Latin root of the word for a round cake.

A tortilla's creaminess comes, in part, from the way the potatoes are cooked. Half-submerged in olive oil, they are set over heat gentle enough to cook them without frying. This careful cooking makes the potatoes tender and velvety. Although most of the generous amount of oil used is then discarded, what the potatoes soak up is more fat than most of us want. To remedy this, I have developed a technique using chicken broth and a mere tablespoon of olive oil. With this method, using starchy potatoes like Russets or yellow-fleshed varieties, and cutting them into equal-size cubes so they cook evenly, you will still get a perfect tortilla. Cut it into one-inch pieces for pinchos, or serve it in wedges as a main course.

TORTILLA DE PATATA

1 pound Russet potatoes, scrubbed and dried
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped, about 1/2 cup
1/2 cup fat-free chicken or vegetable broth
3 eggs
3 egg whites
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
Freshly ground pepper

To cut the potatoes into even cubes, first square them by cutting a thin slice off 4 sides of the unpeeled potatoes, then cut each potato into 1/2-inch cubes.

In a heavy, medium, non-stick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Saute the onion until it is golden, about 4 minutes.

Add the potatoes, pressing them to make 1 even layer covering the pan. Add 1/4 cup of the broth. Cook 5 minutes. Stir the potatoes to turn them. Add 2 tablespoon broth, press the potatoes back into one layer, and cook 5 minutes. Repeat this process again. Stir the potatoes a fourth time and cook until they are al dente, 3-5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in medium bowl, beat together the eggs, whites, salt and pepper. Add the cooked potatoes to the eggs and let sit 5 minutes. Set aside the skillet; do not wipe it out.

Spray the skillet in which the potatoes cooked with non-stick spray and place it over medium-high heat. Pour the eggs and potatoes into the pan, spreading them to make an even layer. Cook until the eggs are set enough that you can lift the edges of the tortilla and slide it around in the pan, 4-5 minutes, reducing the heat, if necessary, to prevent the omelet from getting too brown.

To turn the tortilla, place a dinner plate over the skillet. Picking up the pan, flip it so the tortilla drops onto the plate. Slide the tortilla back into the skillet, with the uncooked side down. Cook until the eggs are set all the way through, 2-3 minutes.

Slide the cooked tortilla onto a serving plate. Let it sit at least 5 minutes, or until it is room temperature. Then, for pinchos, cut the tortilla into 20 squares by slicing it into 5 strips one way, then making 4 cuts crosswise, and serve with toothpicks. Or, cut the tortilla into 6 wedges and serve.

Each of the six servings contains 154 calories and 5 grams of fat.
Source: Dana Jacobi by the American Institute for Cancer Research