From Argentina With Love

Homemade Ravioli-Raviolis Caseros

Homemade Ravioli. 

When I hear about Those People (you know the ones...) who have the time and energy to make their own ravioli from scratch, I think (with a twinge of envy, I must admit) they should probably take up a hobby.  Who but who would inflict torture like that on themselves-oh, the difficulty and the time!!

Ok.  I get it now.  And I'm a convert.  It's completely and utterly worth every precious second of time to make your own ravioli.  Frankly, I don't think I'll ever be the same again.  I mean, how can I go back to store bought, machine manufactured ravioli after tasting this homemade food of the gods?!

And just for the record, it's not that hard-actually not too complicated at all, just requires a little planning.  I would rate it somewhere around meatloaf or homemade pizza, difficulty-wise. 

In Argentina, making your own pasta is done pretty regularly in many households.  With so many people of Italian descent, it's not surprising.  The tools necessary are sold at the grocery store, not at a specialty shop.  (Like the wooden ravioli dowel you see pictured below--it came from a Vea supermarket in Mendoza.)  Homemade ravioli and pasta of all types are on every restaurant menu.  And in Bowen, the little hardware store that sells washing machines and new bedroom sets also sells hand-cranking pasta makers. 

I thought to myself "I have to try it, even if I never do it again.  It's Argentinean." I told myself.  "It's for the blog!"  Oh, the motivation--I really had to talk myself into it!  A few hours later, Guillermo and I sat, stuffed.  Not a ravioli remained, no leftovers for the next day's lunch, our plates were wiped clean.  And Guillermo said "That...was probably the best ravioli I have ever tasted." 

There's some truth in that old adage "The way to a man's heart is through his belly".  And really, the way to my heart, too!  Is that enough of an endorsement to get you to try it? 

Below the recipe are step-by-step pictures showing the assembly process after rolling out the ravioli dough.   The sauce I used was this tomato sauce.  Enjoy!

Receta Para Raviolis Caseros

Recipe For Homemade Ravioli

Makes 2 batches of about 2 dozen ravioli each.

Three Cheese Filling:

1 cup shredded mozzerella cheese

1 cup good quality ricotta cheese

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon salt (or more or less to taste)

freshly ground pepper (to taste)

3-4 Tablespoons dried parsley

Add cheeses and egg together in a medium mixing bowl.  Stir together.  Add in remaining ingredients.  Mix until well incorporated. 

The Dough: (From Saveur Magazine)

3 cups flour, plus more as needed

2 eggs

1/2 Tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

10 Tablespoons water

Mound the flour on a work surface and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt.  Make a wide, deep well in the center of the flour, leaving some flour at the well's bottom.  Pour oil into well, and crack the eggs into it.  Use a fork to gently mix the eggs and oil together, then gradually incorporate surrounding flour a little at a time into the well.  As egg mixture absorbs flour, slowly add 10 Tablespoons water until the dough becomes wet and sticky.  Generously sprinkle the dough and work surface with additional flour.  Knead the dough, adding flour as necesasary to prevent sticking, until it's elastic and smooth, about 10 minutes.  Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside to let rest for one hour.

Divide the dough in half.  Working with 1 dough half at a time (keep the other half on the counter covered with a towel), roll it with a rolling pin, stetching it occasionally with your hands, into an 18-inch wide circle about 1/6 th of an inch thick on a well-floured work surface, rotating it occasionally.

To assemble the ravioli, spread half the filling (not so much that it will squish out, but not too little, either)evenly over one side of the dough, leaving a half an inch border.  Brush the border with water.  (PHOTO 1)

Fold the dough over filling to form a half moon.  Press edges to seal.  Generously dust dough with flour.  (PHOTO 2)

Roll a checkered ravioli pin firmly over dough, imprinting it with a pattern of squares, or use a hand-stamp ravioli cutter.  (PHOTO 3)

Using a fluted ravioli cutter (ok, I used a pastry cutter) cut the ravioli along the indentations. (PHOTO 4)

Separate the ravioli and let them air dry for one hour.  Repeat with remaining dough and filling. (PHOTO 5)

At this point, they can be laid out on a wax-paper lined baking sheet and frozen, or plopped into a large pot of boiling salted water over high heat and cooked 8-10 minutes, until al dente.  Drain and transfer to a large bowl and serve with the sauce of your choice.

Ravioli rollers can be bought online at www.bakedeco.com (and probably elsewhere, too) or at finer kitchen/cooking stores.

Argentinean Deep Dish Pizza

 

 

 

 

 

We went to visit Pancho, a childhood friend of Guillermo's.  Pancho owns a fruit drying company-they dry, package and export dried plums, apricots, and tomatoes (among other things).  The last time Pancho and Guillermo saw each other was our wedding day in September of 2006.  The conversation went like this:

(after some greetings, hugging and back-slapping...)

Pancho: "So, it's great to see you!  But, Guille, I have one thing to ask you, man."

Guillermo:  "What?"

Pancho:  "What's that thing there between your chest and your lap?!" 

Guillermo and I looked, puzzled, at his belly for a split second before bursting into laughter.  It's true-since we got married, he has gotten a little round belly.  We could blame it on the 'sympathy weight' so often gained by husbands when their wives are pregnant, or on the fact that with a toddler we most often collapse, exhausted, into bed at night, and don't have time to go to the gym, but I'd rather blame the appearance of Guillermo's paunch on this pizza.  (Because it's really, really good.)

Pizza is one of the pillars of Argentinean cuisine, found on most every menu in restaurants, and it's made in households across the country.  The crust is thick and doughy, and the toppings are inventive.  I recently got an email from a reader-a native of Argentina.  She said "We are such a potpourri!  Do we really have a cuisine of our own-a true Argentinean cuisine?!" 

And while it's true that Argentina's recipes and culture are very much influenced by the countries (and cultures) they originally came from, Argentinean pizza (like many of their recipes) is a unique experience unto itself.  Because it's topped with things like hard boiled egg, sardines, ham, whole green olives, roasted red peppers, Roquefortcheese, hearts of palm, and fresh tomatoes.  Or a combination of different cheeses, or no sauce but caramelized onions and cheese (called Fugazza-it's simple and sensational).  Completely unique, and completely Argentinean.

Try these combinations for a winning Argentinean-style pizza:

Four cheese:  Mozzarella, Provolone, Swiss, and Jack cheeses

Mozzarella, Ham, Green Olives

Mozzarella, Green Olives, Fresh Tomato Slices

Pesto, Fresh Tomato Slices, Hearts of Palm, Hard Boiled Egg, Provolone

Mozzarella, Ham, Roasted Red Pepper

You get the idea, right?  So without further ado, here's the recipe for the crust, followed by the recipe for the sauce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Receta para Masa Casera para Pizza

Recipe for Homemade Pizza Dough

A note about this dough: it is not like typical dough-it will be more like a batter, and should be poured into the pizza pan.

1 1/3 cup lukewarm water

1 teaspoon active dry yeast (or 1 packet)

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Put the lukewarm water in a bowl with the sugar and the yeast and mix until the yeast is dissolved.  (If you are using a stand mixer with a metal bowl, rinse the bowl with hot water first to warm it up.)  When the yeast begins to form bubbles (about 5-10 minutes) add the oil and the salt.  Mix in the flour gradually (if using a stand mixer, use the paddle blade and mix in the flour while the mixer is running.)  Mix until well incorporated, but it's not necessary to knead this dough.  Cover with a damp towel and put in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, about 45 minutes.

Generously oil a round pizza pan.  When the dough is ready, pour it into the pan, and spread the dough evenly around in the pan with a spoon or a spatula.  It will be sticky!  Put the pan in the oven for 8-10 minutes-just long enough to make the dough firm enough to put the toppings on, but not long enough to form a crust. 

Top with sauce of your choice (tomato, pesto, olive oil) and toppings of your choice-don't forget to sprinkle the top with oregano!  We did half mozzarella, hearts of palm and Roquefort and half just mozzarella.

Bake until cheese has melted and is brown on top.

Receta para Salsa de Tomates para Pizzas

Recipe for Tomato Sauce for Pizza

3 cloves garlic, sliced thin

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

crushed red pepper flakes,  to taste

oregano, to taste

1 large can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes

Put the olive oil in a medium skillet and heat over medium heat.  Add the garlic and saute until golden.  Add the tomatoes and stir until incorporated.  Mix in remaining ingredients.  Raise heat briefly, bringing the sauce to a simmer, and then lower it and let  simmer, uncovered, for about a half hour or until it has thickened. 

 

 

 

Argentinean Gnocchi and...a Travel Guide

In February I posted about Argentina's beloved tradition of eating ñoquis (gnocchi) on the 29th of every month in honor of the feast day of San Pantaleon, one of the patron saints of Venice.  Guillermo and I have started hosting 'ñoqui nights' at our house-inviting friends to share a meal with us, and rolling out gnocchi together-a sure recipe for a good time!  We always follow the tradition of placing money under our plates for good fortune in the month to come.

Maybe the saints heard us!  I've had the good fortune of finding and meeting so many other bloggers, writers, and all-around lovers of Argentina since then.  The website Argentina's Travel Guide is one example.  The concept of their site is a guidebook as a website-a very practical idea, since today's travelers tote laptops and i-Phones, rather than bulky guidebooks.

The site is a wealth of information about every region in Argentina, with things to do, places to stay, itineraries, and activities.  The webpage reads like a newspaper, and along with all the resources, information, and forums they provide, they also run articles about Argentinean culture-from street slang to recipes.

That's where I come in!  Argentina's Travel Guide has asked me to write a series of articles and recipes for them.  They'll be classic Argentinean recipes that travelers would eat and want to know how to make when they return home. 

My first article for them is all about Ñoquis of the 29th Day of the month-why the tradition got started, and of course, how to make the gnocchi to celebrate it!  The ñoquis I made for this article have half pesto sauce, half tomato sauce, and  shaved Parmesan on top- red, white and green tricolor in honor of the Italian flag.  Since I've already posted about how to make gnocchi, I'll share the sauce recipes with you here.   

The pesto is simple and delicious-a perfect topping for any pasta , spread for bread or as a pizza sauce.  The tomato sauce is the perfect simple sauce-using fresh herbs and whole cloves of garlic-good for just about anything!

Receta para Pesto-Recipe for Pesto Sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt-or more to taste

olive oil

shredded Parmesan

1 and 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves

Put the minced garlic and the salt in a mortar and pestle, and smash the garlic together with the salt until the flavors are incorporated.  Chop the basil leaves very fine, and put in a bowl.  Add the garlic, olive oil and shredded Parmesan.  Mix well until incorporated.  Serve as suggested above.

Receta para Salsa de Tomates-Tomato Sauce Recipe

6 whole cloves garlic, skins removed

Olive oil (about 5 Tablespoons)

salt (to taste-less than a teaspoon)

1 teaspoon sugar

huge handful of basil

large can crushed tomatoes

juice from 1/2 a lemon

pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the garlic cloves and cook until slightly golden, but not burnt.  The garlic will have infused the oil with its flavor.  Add the tomatoes and mix well.  Add in salt, sugar, basil, lemon juice and red pepper.  Stir until mixed in.  Cover, and raise heat to medium high, bringing the sauce to a simmer.  Let simmer for about 30 minutes.  Serve over pasta or gnocchi with Parmesan on top!

Swiss Chard Tart-Tarta de Acelga

Chard is one of those vegetables.  You know the ones-if they were people, they'd be the teenagers off in a corner of the school yard by themselves, smoking cigarettes with a glare and acting like they don't care.  In the vegetable world, they're one of those things that you look at, knowing that it's probably really good, but you just don't know what to do with it.

Tarta, on the other hand, is president of the glee club-valedictorian, maybe even prom queen, never wears the same thing twice, and the type of person you'd really love to hate-if she weren't so gosh-darn nice!  No, tarta is easy to make, fast, and can be filled with just about any filling you care to use-basically your all-around goody two shoes.

I've posted about tarta before, it is a simple, quick meal that's high on flavor and low on effort.  Tarta describes a savory pie: some kind of filling between two pie-crust-type shells, and sealed using the twisted pattern called repulgue in Argentina.  (The video on my empanada post teaches you how to do it.)

Unless you grew up eating chard, or make an effort to find a recipe that uses it, you may forever be wondering what to do with the big dark leaves that find their way to markets in mid-summer and early fall.  (Chard grows easily and abundantly-it may grow out of control if allowed.  But see how tame it looks all wrapped up in a flaky crust?)

                                   Receta para Tarta de Acelga

                                  Recipe for Swiss Chard Tart

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 eggs, hardboiled then peeled and sliced

2 large bunches of Swiss chard (white stems preferred if available)

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese or queso cremoso

2 pie crust rounds-either your recipe for pie crust OR Pillsbury (or similar) pre-made Pie Crusts (or tapa para tarta)

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and saute the onions until translucent.  Wash the chard very well (grit is common!) Remove the hard stems of the chard, and chop coarsely.  Add the chard to the onions with a couple tablespoons of water and a little salt, and cover, steaming until wilted.  Add the pepper and cheese and mix well.  Heat through until the cheese is melted.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.  Drain off any liquid.

Put 1 pie crust onto a round (pizza) pan.  Put chard mixture onto the center of the pie crust.  Arrange  slices of  egg on top of chard mixture.  Cover with second pie crust round and seal the edge all the way around by twisting the dough, so that none of the filling seeps out during baking.

Bake until crust is golden brown, about 35-40 minutes.  Cut into wedges.  It can be served hot, cold, or at room temperature.

Chicken and Potatoes-Pollo con Papas

Dusk falls in Bowen and the window is open, letting in the occasional cool breeze from outside and letting the heat out of the kitchen.  Out in the yard, Indio, my in-laws' crop-tailed brown mutt, runs along the fence, barking furiously.  People call greetings to each other in the dusty road, I can hear the buzz of a scooter as it zips by.  Sometimes gypsies come along, selling pillows door-to-door.  Maybe they are drawn to my in-laws' door by the delicious smell drifting out the open window-the smell of pollo con papas. 

Evenings in Bowen we meet around the table, a much more relaxed and quiet affair than lunch.  At lunch, when my brother and sister in-law and their son are over, it's noisy with the ladies bustling  around the kitchen, chatting and setting the table, and the men watching their futball, complaining about the scores.

But at dinner, it's just the 3 of us:  my in-laws and I; the baby has gone to sleep and I'm visiting alone.  When pollo con papas  is served, we are all quiet, except for the sound of cutlery on the plates, eating and savoring every bite because it's just so good, there's no space in our mouths for conversation.  (Argentinians eat with such pleasure, such gusto-they savor and enjoy and exclaim.  Whereas many of us in the US eat and eat, and never feel full-because we don't enjoy it enough!)

We end up stabbing the last few potatoes with our forks right out of the pan they were cooked in. "Asi-Rebe!  Like this, Rebe!" My father-in-law, Carlos, tells me, demonstrating how he takes a potato with his fork and pushes it all over the bottom of the pan, getting all the salt and juice on the potato before popping it in his mouth.  His hands are huge around the fork, hard-working farming hands, all thick fingers and rough skin.  They're hands that have created-coaxed life out of the earth and harvested it. 

Evenings in Bowen are quiet, because there isn't a movie theater (the next town over used to have one, but it closed last year, because not enough people went, preferring to watch cable TV).  There isn't a bookstore, a library, or even a restaurant-the first supermarket just opened last year. (Before it was the local grocer or your own farm or a drive to the next town.)

So evenings are for family.  After dinner, we sit around nursing glasses of Quilmes beer, watching old movies.  Rita Hayworth, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Grace Kelly-my in-laws know them all.  We watch-Gary Cooper, Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe-it's non-stop TCM.  Only all the movies are dubbed in Spanish (no subtitles) so half the time it's all I can do to follow the plot line.  But our bellies are full of delicious food, relaxed and full, we watch romances, dramas, and comedies from times past-a simpler time, perhaps; and enjoy the company of family.  As they say in Argentina-Panza llena, corazon contento-Full belly, happy heart.

                                              Receta por Pollo con Papas a la Florencia

                                                       Florencia's Chicken and Potatoes

Florencia made this for me as one of my first meals the first time I met her, and I had never tasted anything like it!  Since then, it's one she knows will be a hit, and she makes it anytime we visit.  It's one of the most satisfying meals I can think of-and the simplest to prepare!  The secret is the white wine-it goes the potatoes an extra tang.

one whole chicken, cleaned

coarse salt

pepper

one lemon

olive oil

1 cup dry white wine

5 cloves garlic, peeled but still whole

5 russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 'fries'

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Rinse the chicken and remove the packet inside.  Put the chicken in a baking pan, and drizzle olive oil over the chicken, rubbing it into the skin.  Squeeze the juice of  the lemon over the chicken, and stuff the lemon halves into the cavity.  Salt and pepper the chicken to taste. 

Meanwhile, put the cut potatoes in a bowl and drizzle in olive oil, using your hands to mix them around so that they are lightly coated in oil.  Salt liberally.

Put the potatoes around the chicken in the casserole dish.  Place the garlic cloves around in the potatoes.  Bake for about 40 minutes.  After this time, pull the chicken out, and pour the wine over the potatoes.  Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees.  Return the chicken to the oven, rotating the pan, for about 30 minutes more, testing for doneness using a meat thermometer, 170 degrees.

Tarta de Choclo-Corn Tart

  Buenos Aires, 1905--Tango is the underground dance of bordellos and seedy nightclubs.  While members of Argentina's Creole upper class dine out to the tune of an orchestra, tango's popularity is on the rise in the streets.  Angel Villoldo composes his best tango yet, telling his friend, pianist Jose Luis Roncallo, that he wants to play the song that night for the ritzy clientele at the restaurant where Roncallo and his orchestra play.  Roncallo balks at the idea-play a tango for the elite crowd at the exclusive Restaurante Americano?  Never.  But, being the friend that he is, and finding the tune so compelling, Roncallo and his orchestra decide to play the song anyway, disguising it as a "danza Criolla"-a Creole dance.  The rest, as they say, is history-the song became wildly popular and a classic was born.

And the name of the tune?  El Choclo-the ear of corn.  Villoldo, who loved his song "...from the very first note" also found the ear of corn to be the tastiest ingredient in a meat and vegetable stew called puchero.  To earn a living was commonly referred to as 'earning the puchero', (the reference here being that writing this tango was the 'tastiest' way to earn a living) and Villoldo hoped the song would bring him success and help him earn a living, hence bestowing this odd name on the song. 

Choclo is also the main ingredient in tarta de choclo, a tart filled with corn.  It's meant to be sweet rather than savory, though not as sweet as a dessert filling would be. This filling can also be used as a filling in empanadas.  It's a very simple dish, which would be great as a starter or a side, or a simple dinner with a salad, bread and a bottle of red wine.  This is how I make tarta 'El Choclo':

Open a bottle of wine.  Put on a Tango CD and put volume up.  While making the tarta, banish winter (or anytime!) blues by dancing the tango in the kitchen-alone, with baby, or with husband (who may be unavailable due to long work hours, baby bath time duties, or general aversion to dance steps).  Drink wine in between tango steps and wait for the tarta to come out of the oven.

                                        Receta por Tarta de Choclos

                                                Recipe for Corn Tart

1 Tablespoons butter

1 small onion, chopped

2 eggs, hardboiled then peeled and chopped

2 ears of corn OR 1 can of creamed sweet corn

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2 pie crust rounds-either your recipe for pie crust OR Pillsbury pre-made Pie Crusts

1 teaspoon sugar

pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Heat the butter in a skillet over medium high heat and saute the onions until translucent.  Add the corn, either the canned creamed sweet corn or 2 ears, boiled until tender, kernels cut off, and mixed in with onion with a few tablespoons of milk and a spoonful of cornstarch to thicken.  Add the sugar, pepper and cheese. Heat through until the cheese is melted.  Remove form heat and let cool slightly.

Put 1 pie crust onto a round pan.  Put corn mixture onto the center of the pie crust.  Sprinkle with chopped egg pieces.  Cover with second pie crust round and seal the edge all the way around by twisting the dough, so that none of the filling seeps out during baking.

Bake until crust is golden brown, about 35-40 minutes.  Cut into wedges, it can be served hot, cold, or at room temperature.

National Ñoquis (Gnocchi) Day

This is how I knew I was going to fall in love with Argentina:

Argentinos eat gnocchi together on the 29th of every month, and it's a national holiday.

Excuse me while I swoon. 

Yes, that's right--people all over the country get together on the same day every month just to eat gnocchi.  Now, that's s my idea of a national holiday! I didn't grow up with any sort of food traditions that are celebrated like this on a national level.  But in Argentina, the tradition is that on the 29th day of each and every month, one is supposed to eat gnocchi.  Okay, twist my arm... 

Argentinos  are fond of the expression 'a full belly, a happy heart,' and on the 29th they prepare Ñoquis (as they spell it) at home and invite friends over to share the meal; it's also quite common to find ñoquis on the menu in restaurants on this day.  Either way, diners end up both full and happy.

Traditionally, money is placed under the plate to attract prosperity.  The money is kept by the diner as a good luck charm, is left for the hostess to pay for the gnocchi for the following month, or can be given to a member of the party who is in need.

There are a number of stories about how this tradition got started.  Italian immigrants (whose descendants make up about 50 percent of Argentina's population) may have brought this tradition with them. Some say that an Italian saint named San Pantaleon, one of the patron saints of Venice, was canonized on the 29th, each month this day is celebrated as his feast day. 

Some say it was a group of housewives in the 1970s that finally made the tradition widespread, a way to celebrate an otherwise dreary time of the month for most households-the last days of the month before payday, when the money had run out.  (I particularly like this idea, since Housewife is my day job.)

Tomorrow is the 29th.  Invite some friends over and make some gnocchi, or go to your local Argentinian restaurant and eat some.  Put a dollar under your plate-and see what prosperity comes your way!  (And then write and tell me about it, por favor!)

                                                                     

                                                                 Receta de Ñoquis del 29

                                                      Recipe for 29th-of-the-month Gnocchi

The goal (and the challenge) of good gnocchi is that it should be light and fluffy while also dense enough to have flavor, but not so dense that they are chewy or gummy.

2 lbs. baking potatoes (about 6)

salt

2 eggs

1 cup fresh, good quality ricotta cheese

2-3 cups flour, plus more for dusting

Peel and quarter the potatoes, putting them in a medium stock pot with enough water to cover the potatoes with one inch of water.  Add a scant handful of salt.  Put the potatoes to boil until they are tender when pierced with a fork , but not mushy. Drain the potatoes.

Put the potatoes through a food mill or potato ricer.  In a large bowl, combine the potatoes, eggs, and ricotta, and mix well using your hands or a fork until a consistent dough is formed.  Be careful not to overmix. 

Add the flour a half cup at a time, mixing each time by hand until there is a soft, pliable dough.  The dough should not be sticky, and it should not be hard.  If it's too sticky or soft, the gnocchi will be mushy, but if there's too much flour, the gnocchi will be chewy and tough.  (This is the challenging part!)

Knead the dough a few times until uniform, and divide the dough in half .  Flour a work area, and roll the dough out into a long thin roll about 3/4 inch thick.  Cut these tubes of dough into sections about 1 inch long.  Meanwhile, bring a stock pot of water to a boil. 

There are a variety of ways to 'mark' the gnocchi-all just a style choice, since at this point, they are more or less done.  Here are some suggestions:  Mark an indentation in the center of each gnocchi with your index finger; or roll over the side of a cheese grater to make patterned indentations; or roll over the backside of a fork, or roll over the center of a wooden gnocchi tool.

At this point, the gnocchi can be frozen laid out on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.  After they are frozen, they can be stored in a freezer bag.   Frozen gnocchi are just put into the boiling water like the unfrozen ones.

Throw the gnocchi one at a time into the boiling water. They are cooked when they rise to the top.  Collect with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate.  Serve with the sauce of your choice.  (Some nice choices are walnut Gorgonzola, tomato or white sauce.)

Torta Española-a Potato Omelet

 

Torta Española means Spanish Torte, but it’s also known as Torta de Papas (Potato Torte) or Tortilla de Papas (Potato Tortilla).   Thin slices of potato are fried in olive oil with onions and spices until they are just browned around the edges, and then eggs are added, making a gratin or omelet. While these are cooking, a delicious aroma starts to fill the kitchen-the soothing smell of simple home cooking. Layers of potato and onion are nestled into the egg, and the whole omelet is flipped to cook the top and further combine the flavors. The special combination of these every-day ingredients elevate this rustic dish, making it the ultimate comfort food.  In a way, I think of it as famine food, the few things you have on hand at the end of the week before the trip to the store--onion, potato and egg are always available.  But brought to the table, the lack dissipates-it relies on its simplicity to impress, it needs no showy ingredient to be outstanding. Michelle at the Greedy Gourmet is hosting a new event in the food blogosphere, called Snackshots. The first one is all about potatoes, and I am entering this humble and savory omelet to this event. Thanks, Michelle!

 

Torta Española is a typical dish in Argentina, originally from Spain (hence the name). My mother says her Italian aunt, Millie, made it;  and the French also have a version.  So Torta Española in one form or other is well-know throughout the regions of Spain, Italy, Franc and Portugal. This recipe’s versatile enough that it can be eaten any time of day and with anything.  Potato and egg are great as breakfast, or brunch.  It makes a nice lunch or picnic dish and can be eaten as an appetizer or as a side dish at dinner.

This was one of the first things my husband made for me when we were dating, after he called his mom to get the recipe.  Here it is:

 

Torta Española Recipe

1 onion, chopped

2-3 potatoes
2 cloves garlic

fresh or dried parsley, to taste

salt and pepper, to taste

olive oil

4 eggs, lightly beaten

Peel and cut the potatoes into slices (about ¼ inch each) Dry the potatoes with paper towels. Put olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and the potatoes, and cook until the onion is clear and the potatoes are browning around the edges.  Add in salt, parsley and pepper and mix well. Remove the onion and potato mixture and re-oil the pan.  Return the mixture to the pan and arrange the potatoes in an even ‘layer’ around the pan.  Add the eggs, and continue to cook until the omelet sets.  When one side is cooked, cover the frying pan with a plate and carefully flip the pan over, removing the omelet from the pan.  Return the omelet to the pan with the unfinished side down and cook for three to five minutes, or until done.  Remove to a plate and cut into wedges or squares. The end result should be a tortilla that’s about 2 inches thick. It can also be decorated with Spanish olives or slices of roasted or fresh red pepper.

Don’t be discouraged if your tortilla falls apart when you try to turn it, it takes practice, and it still tastes great broken, too.