Something to go with that soup?

When I wrote the blog about French potato leek soup (sorry, I am not going near spelling the word correctly), I talked about putting some kind of protein out there with it. Well, what?


This was something I had to give some thought to. See, Guy and I normally eat something like a pizza, or a big piece of quiche, or maybe savory bread pudding, with the soup we eat on Monday night. But given the high potato content in this soup, something starchy wasn't going to cut it. Maybe it's a sign of my increasing age that, while ten years ago I probably could have eaten a pizza with a bowl of this soup, I can't do it anymore.

So I turned to something that I really should make more often. Whether you call it frittata, or tortilla, or something else (there is a version in Japanese cooking and I can't remember what it is), there is a sort of culinary "universal" in a cake of eggs, and leftovers.

Now, let's get one term right here. I did write "tortilla," and I meant it. We all know Mexican corn and wheat tortillas as breads. But in Iberia, a tortilla is an egg dish, usually served at room temperature, and almost always based on wonderful fried potatoes. A well made tortilla is a thing of joy. It's a wonderful snack or meal, and since it is not served cold, or even hot, you can make it, and leave it alone. Italians have their frittata, and again, it's one of those things where, if you ask 100 Italian cooks how they make it, you'll probably get 100 different answers. Potatoes are NOT a "must" in Italian frittate, but there's usually some kind of vegetable, maybe some meat, and it's sometimes thinner than a tortilla, and sometimes not.

The whole point is, we're talking a thick, egg based kind of cake here. Thick, as contrasted to the thin omelets and crepes that we know from French cooking. One of the differences is that, when cooking a tortilla or frittata, you are not going to move the eggs around. They cook slowly, with heat coming up from the bottom to cook the top, and maybe finishing with a quick second or two under the burner.

Traditionally, you need at least six eggs to make one of these, but we're just going to make a small one, for two people, so I'll use four in this recipe. What you do is break four, large eggs, at room temperature (helps with the cooking), into a bowl, and stir them until they're broken up. You don't want to put too much air into this. Thickness counts in this kind of dish. Add a bit of salt, and any dry spices or herbs you might like. What they are very much depends on what you feel like and what you have around. I grew up eating peppers and eggs, and so mine has peppers in it: pickled spicy peppers that I bought from a Farmers' Market vendor, called "Ricks Picks" The sample they gave me convinced me to try them. Some cheese element is also good in these. I had mozzarella around, so I cubed some of this. Use TINY cubes. Dice them nicely. Otherwise, you will get big globs of YUCK when it's done. You can also use an onion element, and I normally would, but for the leeks in the soup. I also took one small chorizo sausage, and sliced it thinly. All of this gets mixed directly with the eggs.

Then pour all of this into a well oiled pan. For me, a non-stick is essential with this, for reasons that will be clear as we go on. More professional cooks may not need the non-stick, but I do. You cook this, at medium low heat while you bring your oven broiler up high. Watch the eggs. You'll see a decided change, as they go from liquid, to semi solid, to just about firm. That's where you want 'em. Eggs continue to cook off the heat, and if you cook them too hard, they will turn very rubbery. Who needs that?

Now, what you'll do is take that pan, and put it under your broiler for no more than about fifteen seconds, to just brown the top of it. Pull it out of the oven, and if you want to add a sprinkling of parmesan to the top, don't let me stop you.

Now, comes a moment where you have to be patient, and also be careful. That pan just came out of a very hot oven. You could get burned badly, given what you need to do next. So, let it sit for five, maybe ten minutes. Then get a plate bigger than your pan, cover the pan and put one hand on the middle of the plate. Protect your second hand with an oven mitt, or a towel, and grab the handle. Now, fearlessly, turn the whole thing upside down. If the eggs don't 'plop' out immediately, shake the pan a bit, and if it still doesn't work, oh well, get in there with a paddle or spatula and get them loose on the plate.

And there you have it. Something a little different from your standard egg dish, and good with something starchy, like our soup. We eat ours with an argula salad to round out the meal.

This is a good thing to have in your repertoire. You can, for example, put something substantial like crab or shrimp into the eggs, cook it up, and then when it's cool, cut it into small pieces and serve it as cocktail food. Or use it in a sandwich. It's good and substantial, and it gives you a chance to use up odds and ends in the fridge.

Give it a try. I think you'll like it.