Spanish Tortilla

When I was living in Spain my host mom taught me how to make Spanish Tortilla. I don't really have measurements. So I decided to do a step by step picture post this time. Pretty much it's equal onions and potatoes (maybe 4 potatoes, 2 onions) sliced.

My host mom used a LOT of olive oil to make this, like boiling the veggies in it.

I just cover the bottom of the pan (7 in.) and when the oil is hot, add half of the onions and potatoes. Cook over medium high heat.

I always forget the salt and pepper. And even when I do, I never put enough salt in. (I should measure it next time.)

Cook potatoes, stirring occasionally, until tender and potatoes kind of break when you push on them (12 min.? depends on how thick you slice them.) Remove from pan and cook the rest of the onions and potatoes (add more oil if needed).

While they're cooking, crack 7 or 8 eggs in a bowl and add a few tablespoons of milk (like if you were making scrambled eggs).

Beat eggs.

Pour half of the eggs in the pan over the potatoes/onions. Use a fork (or wooden spoon- gotta be care with my new nonstick pans). and kind of jiggle (?) the potatoes around to get the eggs between everything. Do not stir/mix. Let cook on low for 10 or so minutes. Until only a little runny on top.

Cover with a plate and flip over. (I hold the frying pan in my right hand and plate in my left.

Then slide it back into the pan to let the (what used to be the) top cook.

Cook for a few more minutes. You can flip again if needed.

Flip it out onto another plate and you're done.

Here's what it looks inside:

My host mother would always serve it with a baguette and salad consisting of lettuce, tomatoes, vinegar, salt, pepper, and, oh! that's right, olive oil.

Roasted Winter Vegetables/Soup

The cool weather has made me feel like making soup. This one is made from the leftovers of the Barefoot Contessa's Roasted Winter Vegetables. Delicious! And so easy:

1 lb carrots, 1 lb parsnips, 1 large sweet potato, 1 small butternut squash

Peel, cut, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake at 425 for 25-35 min. (Sprinkle w/ fresh parsley if you like.)

The Roasted Vegetable Soup is simple. Coarsely puree the roasted veggies in a blender/food processor, add chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you want to make it vegetarian) and heat it up! If you have an awesome blender like a VitaMix this would take minutes!

My husband really liked the soup but I think I like the veggies better.

Eggplant Parmesan

I love this dish. It's a nice way to add something substantial to a pasta night without using meat. (These are the pictures you get. I don't have a final picture cause I realized I didn't have any mozzarella cheese so I covered it and put it in the fridge and made it for dinner the next day. Just imagine mozzarella sprinkled on top and baked in the oven. Mmm)

1 eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 egg, beaten with 1 Tablespoon water

1/4 cup flour

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons oil

1/3 parmesan cheese

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Dip eggplant slices into egg and then flour. Heat oil and cook a few eggplant slices in frying pan until golden. Drain on paper towel. Repeat with rest.

Put eggplant in a casserole dish and sprinkle with parmesan. Spoon sauce over eggplant and then top with mozzarella. Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes.

Battered, and fried.

Sprinkled with freshly grated parmesan cheese- I love my Microplane Zester!

Covered with sauce. (Sorry, I don't have a finished product. At this point I realized I didn't have any mozzarella so it went in the fridge until the next day and then I didn't have time to take a picture.)

Curried Couscous

I found this recipe in my Barefoot Contessa cookbook and was excited to try something different. Kurt wasn't that fond of couscous (I think he'd only had it plain), but he loved it. Now he insists I make enough to be sure there's leftovers. It's really simple (why I love so many of her recipes; simple ingredients, easy to make, yet so delicious). It's really fast, the most time consuming thing is chopping the veggies.

You can’t go wrong simply following one of Ina Garten’s recipes, but below is the recipe with my changes.  You could easily make it ahead of time and keep refrigerated until it’s time to eat. Just mix in the almonds right before serving or they will not be as crisp -that doesn’t really bother us though, we like it as left overs too!

We often just buy a Costco rotisserie chicken to eat with it or just eat it plain! I tried a recipe for Moroccan chicken once, but I'm not very good at cooking poultry, always turns out tough and dry. A meat thermometer would probably help, any other tips?

Curried Couscous

1 1/2 cups whole wheat couscous 

1 tablespoon butter, cut in small pieces 

1 1/2 cups boiling water 

1/2 cup grated carrots 

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley 

1/2 cup dried Crasins

2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts) 

1/4 cup small-diced red onion

1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)

For the dressing:

1/4 cup plain yogurt 

1/4 cup olive oil 

1 teaspoon vinegar 

1 teaspoon curry powder 

1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric (if you don't have this that's fine)

3/4 teaspoons salt 

1 teaspoon black pepper 

Place the couscous and butter in a large bowl and pour boiling water over the couscous, stirring just to make sure the butter melts. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let soak for a few minutes while you chop the veggies. Toss in the carrots, parsley, Crasins, scallions, red onions and almonds, if using. Whisk together dressing, pour over salad and mix well. 

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa's Curried Couscous. I use whole wheat couscous, Craisins in place of currants, grate the carrots instead of dice them, use salted butter and rice vinegar, and make the almonds optional.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/curried-couscous-recipe.html