Tortilla Española
Region: Spain, Valencia
Category: Antipasto, Meze, Tapas, and Hors d'Oeuvres
Season: Any
Difficulty: Medium Difficulty
When I first had this empanada stuffed with red and green bell peppers simmered with some tomatoes and garlic until thick, with its crumbly crust, I was surprised that they called it tortilla Española, which is the name of a potato-and-egg frittata. But this is what they called it at the Restaurant “Port” on the Esplanada Bella Vista in Dénia on Valenicia’s coast, and I’m positive I didn’t misread the menu. Names aside, these scrumptious morsels were just delicious on one particular hot, blue-sky day at this restaurant on the beach. The empanada was served in slices. It is not necessary to peel the peppers if you don’t mind the skin, but if you do, then roast them at 425ºF until blackened, about 40 minutes, let cool, then peel and seed them. If you do this, you will need only to cook them half the time stated in step 1 below.
Yield: Makes 20 empanadas
Preparation Time: 1:45 hours
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 1/4 pounds red bell peppers, seeded
1 1/4 pounds green bell peppers or long green peppers (Italian frying peppers or peperoncini), seeded
1 3/4 pounds ripe tomatoes, cut in half, seeds squeezed out, and grated against the largest holes of a standing grater down to the peel
2 teaspoons hot Spanish paprika
2 teaspoons freshly ground cumin seeds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Double recipe Basic Short Dough or empanada dough
1 large egg, beaten
1. In a medium-size skillet, heat the olive oil with the garlic over medium heat; when the garlic begins to turn very light brown, add the peppers and cook until softened, about 15 minutes, stirring. Add the tomatoes, paprika, and cumin, reduce the heat to low, and cook until the liquid has evaporated and the sauce is thick and dense, about 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and let cool.
2. Prepare the dough according to the directions. After the 2 balls of dough have rested in the refrigerator for an hour and been removed for a few minutes to soften, roll each of them out until 1/8 inch thick, and, cut out twenty 4-inch rounds altogether, re-rolling the dough as necessary.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
4. Place about 1 tablespoon of stuffing in the center of each round, fold them over, and crimp closed with the tines of a fork. Arrange the empanadas on a greased baking sheet, brush with the egg wash, and bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack before serving.
Posted: 10/03/2007
Needed Recipes:
Basic Puff-Pastry Short Dough for Empanadas
Referenced Recipes:
