THE TORTILLA: VARIATIONS ON A THEME

 

A classic potato tortilla with the addition of wakame seaweed.

Do you ever come across a recipe on Instagram that you’ve just got to try? Me, rarely. But a post for potato tortilla with wakame seaweed from Porto-Muiños (#portomuinos), Galician harvesters and distributors of algae products, grabbed me. An interesting variation on a classic and I just happened to have all the ingredients to hand.

I can buy several types of algae at my local market at the “health food” stall. Wakame is my favorite. It tastes like a sea breeze smells and is nicely chewy. I use wakame in salad with sesame to accompany sushi, poke and tuna tataki. But, seaweed with potatoes cooked in olive oil? Yes! Wakame adds an interesting flavor as well as texture.  

Shards of dry wakame.

Wakame comes layered in stiff sheets that have been pressed and dried.  After 10 minutes of soaking, it turns from black to dark green and softens to a chewy consistency. Once rehydrated it can be used raw or cooked.

I accompanied the seaweed tortilla with a mushroom sauté al ajillo which also was a variation on a traditional recipe. Instead of the usual champiñones I used white shimeji mushrooms, a product that recently turned up at my local grocery store. With some cherry tomatoes the tortilla and mushrooms made a delightful vegetarian lunch. 

Tortilla is perfect for a vegetarian lunch.

Variation on a theme: champiñones al ajillo made with shimeji mushrooms.

Potato Tortilla with Seaweed

Tortilla de Patatas con Alga

The Porto-Muiños recipe calls for patatas gallegas, Galician potatoes. Those with the PDO Indicación Xeográfica Protexida Pataca de Galicia—protected geographic indication, potato of Galicia, are the Kennebec variety. Not always available where I live, I used ordinary russet-type potatoes for this tortilla.

Potatoes for tortilla are best cooked slowly—not fried—in lots of olive oil. The potatoes absorb very little of the oil, which can be strained and used again. I like onions in tortilla, although the recipe from Porto-Muiños didn’t include them. Your choice.  

½ ounce dry wakame 

1 pound potatoes

½ cup olive oil

Salt

3 tablespoons chopped scallions (optional)

6 eggs

Freshly ground black pepper

Wakame after soaking.

Break the wakame into several pieces. Place them in a bowl and cover with warm water. Soak 5 minutes. With the fingers, prise apart the layers of wakame and soak 5 minutes more. Drain. Discard any clumps that have not softened. Cut any large pieces into shreds. (Makes approximately 1 cup of ready-to-serve seaweed.) 

Cook eggs and potatoes to set.

Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the potatoes, lower heat and cook the potatoes, turning them frequently, without letting them brown. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. When potatoes are almost tender, about 15 minutes, add the scallions, if using. Cook another minute. Remove the potatoes and onions with a skimmer. Reserve the oil.

Beat the eggs in a bowl with 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Add the wakame and potatoes. Let the mixture stand 10 minutes.

Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved oil to a small (8-inch) no-stick skillet. When hot, pour in the egg-potato-wakame mixture. Stir it gently for 30 seconds, then allow to set on the bottom, 3-4 minutes. Adjust heat so that it doesn’t brown or scorch. 

Have ready a flat plate or pan lid. Place it on top of the skillet and hold it tightly while reversing the skillet so that the tortilla turns out onto the plate. Carefully slide it back into the skillet to cook on the reverse side, about 2 minutes. Lift the edge of the tortilla and slide it onto a serving dish.

Serve the tortilla hot or room temperature. 

Shimeji Mushroom Sauté

Setas Shimeji al Ajillo

White shimeji mushrooms, also called beech mushrooms, are a cultivated version of a wild fungi. They somewhat resemble enokitake mushrooms—shell-like caps with slender stems. Sauté them quickly for a slightly crunchy finish or add them to stews and soups to cook to chewiness. 

Chopped ham is often added to mushrooms al ajillo. If you’re cooking a vegetarian meal, just omit it. 

Slice root-end off shimeji mushrooms.

Serves 2-4.

1 bunch (about 6 ounces) shimeji mushrooms

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced

Red pepper flakes

½ ounce diced serrano ham (optional)

Salt

2 tablespoons dry Sherry

2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Fry with garlic.

Wash the whole bunch of mushrooms in a bowl of water. Drain. Cut off and discard the clump of root ends. Separate the mushrooms. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and fry them 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and sauté 1 to 2 minutes. Add the ham, if using, and Sherry. Cook 1 to 2 minutes until the alcohol is cooked off. Serve the mushrooms hot garnished with parsley.

Shimeji mushrooms sautéed with garlic, finished with Sherry.

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More recipes with seaweed:

Hake Steamed with Seaweed.

Potato Salad with Seaweed Mayonnaise.

Tartare Sauce with Seaweed.

Baked Sardines Stuffed with Seaweed.

Seaweed and Squid Noodles with Ink Sauce.

Seaweed Salad with Sesame.

Poke Bowl with Ponzu Sauce.

Kombu Vegetable Stock for Fideo Noodles.

More about Galician potatoes here.

More tortilla recipes:

Classic Potato Tortilla.

Spinach Tortilla.

Tortilla with Fava Beans.

Eggplant Tortilla.

All-Onion Tortilla.

Potato Chip Tortilla

Potato Tortilla With Chorizo and Chard.

Tortilla with Potatoes and Zucchini.

ORANGE SEASON BEGINS!

 

First of the season's oranges!

Early harvest oranges have begun to appear in local markets, reminding me of one of Spain’s gastronomic treasures—the orange, both sweet and bitter.

 “Valencia oranges” are famous, but Sevilla is equally well-known for citrus fruit and for the beautiful bitter orange trees that line the avenues of the Andalusian city.

The Sevilla orange is the protagonist of the 23rd annual Gastronomy Days (Jornadas Gastronómicas) sponsored by Hoteles de Sevilla. Oranges will be featured on the menus at 26 participating hotels until November 10 (see the list here ). As an example, Restaurant los Rincones del Marqués at the Hotel Palacio Villapanés offers Ibérico pork with bitter orange, wild mushrooms and braised artichokes; wild sea bass with orange; steak tartar in brioche with an orange-achiote emulsion; baby lamb with orange and rosemary honey. There’s even an orange wine to accompany the meal.

I’m not in Sevilla this month, but I am inspired to get creative with oranges. Here is a recipe for Sole with Orange Sauce as well as links to recipes with oranges that I have posted in the past. 

Fish with Orange-Caper Sauce

Pescado con Salsa de Naranja y Alcaparras

Pan-fried sole are sauced with orange-caper sauce. 

I was looking for gallineta, a rockfish that I thought would be especially good with orange sauce, but it was not available that day at my market.  I purchased two 8-ounce sole. I had them gutted, skinned and heads removed. This provided two 6-ounce ready-to-cook fish on the bone. Larger sole could be filleted or you could use fillets of any white fish such as sea bass, cod or grouper.

Serves 2.

2 (8-ounce) sole, cleaned and skinned

Salt

Flour

Olive Oil

¼ cup white wine

½ cup fish stock

¼ cup orange juice

1 tablespoon drained capers

1 tablespoon cold butter

Chopped parsley

Sliced oranges for garnish

Fried leeks to garnish (optional)

Sprinkle the fish with salt and allow them to come to room temperature. Dust them with flour on all sides. Add enough oil to cover the bottom of a skillet and place on medium-high heat. Add the fish and fry them until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the fish and keep them warm.

Garnish with oranges and fried leeks.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the wine and cook, stirring up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Let the wine reduce to 1 tablespoon. Add the stock and orange juice. Cook on medium heat until the sauce is reduced by half. Add the capers and heat thoroughly. Taste and add salt if needed.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter in small pieces, swirling it into the hot sauce. 

Place the fish on a platter or individual plates. Spoon over the orange-caper sauce. Sprinkle generously with parsley. Garnish the plates with sliced orange and fried leeks, if desired.

Shredded, fried leeks.

For the fried leeks: Wash the leek and remove outer layer. Cut the white part of the leek into 4-inch segments. Cut the segments in half lengthwise. With a sharp knife, slice the leek lengthwise into thin strips/threads. Soak them in ice water for 20 minutes. Drain well and pat dry on paper towels.

Fry the leeks in 2 inches of oil in a deep pan until they are golden-brown. (Use a deep pan as moisture in the leeks can cause the oil to bubble up.) Skim the leeks out and drain well on paper towels. Sprinkle them lightly with salt.

More recipes with oranges, sweet and bitter:

Orange-date salad.

Orange Gazpacho Cream (Porra).

Moroccan Orange and Date Salad.

Winter Salad with Oranges and Squash.

Málaga Salad with Oranges and Potatoes.

Orange, Avocado, Fennel Salad.

Artichoke and Orange Salad.

Potato-Orange Dunking Salad with Black Olives (Mojete).

Beer-battered fish, sour orange sauce.

Coleslaw with Orange Vinaigrette.

Sour Orange Mayonnaise.

Fish Soup with Sour Orange.

Anchovies in Orange Escabeche.

Beer-Battered Fish with Sour Orange Sauce.

Turkey Breast with Sour Orange Marinade.

Duck Breast a l'Orange.

Pork Chops with Orange-Madroño Sauce.

Pork Tenderloin with Orange Sauce.

Orange-Saffron-Sherry Olive Oil Cake

Orange-Saffron-Sherry Olive Oil Cake.

Sour Orange Sponge Pudding.

Orange Marmalade Pouring Sauce.

Orange Marmalade.

Sliced Oranges with Brown Sugar and Olive Oil.

Intensely Orange Syrup.

THE MEAT CHEAT

 

Pot-roasted beef chuck.

I have to confess that last week when I was making shredded beef for Venezuelan empanadas, I did not follow Juana’s recipe for carne mechada, which is essentially “boiled beef.” Instead I prepared beef chuck pot-roasted with wine to serve for a holiday dinner. We enjoyed the tender beef, rich gravy, roasted carrots and mashed potatoes one day. The leftovers were perfect for shredding and mixing with spicy sofrito for filling empanadas (or tacos) on another day. 

“Carne mechada” actually means “larded meat.” Larding is a technique of threading strips of fat, sometimes with garlic and herbs, through a piece of meat to keep it juicy during slow cooking. Chefs use a larding needle; home cooks just cut slits in the meat and insert the seasoning with the tip of a knife. 

Cutting corners, I simply mixed the garlic, spices and herbs and used them as a rub, spreading the mixture over the meat and into the crevices. Olive oil replaced larding fat.

I am still experimenting with Spanish beef cuts for pot roast. I intended to buy flank steak, which is the designated cut for making the shredded beef for empanadas. Flank may be labelled “vacío” or “falda” (which actually means the skirt, a different cut). But finding a nice hunk of aguja, which is chuck steak, I opted for that instead. I still haven’t found an equivalent to brisket. 

Let meat rest before slicing.

Pot Roast with Herbs

Carne Mechada con Hierbas

Vegetables can be added to the meat during the second hour of roasting. Carrots, parsnips, small onions, squash wedges, potatoes are all good. Personally, I like mashed potatoes alongside pot roast, the better to soak up the delicious onion gravy.

Roast vegetables with the beef.

Serves 6.

2 pounds chuck, skirt, flank or brisket

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

½ teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon smoked pimentón (paprika)

1 bay leaf, crumbled

3 cloves garlic, slivered

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, sliced

1 cup red wine

½ cup pureed fresh or canned tomatoes

½ beef bouillon cube (optional)

Carrots or other vegetables

Flour or cornstarch to thicken gravy (optional)

The piece of chuck can be left whole or divided into 3 or 4 chunks. In a small bowl combine the salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, thyme, pimentón and bay leaf. Rub this mixture on all sides of the meat, particularly into the deep crevices between muscles. Insert slivers of garlic where possible. Drizzle over the oil. Let the meat rest at room temperature for 40 minutes (or refrigerated up to 24 hours).

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Lightly oil a roasting pan or cast iron skillet. Layer the onions on the bottom of the pan and place the meat on top. Roast the meat 20 minutes.

Lower oven temperature to 325ºF. Add wine and tomatoes to the pan. Crumble the bouillon cube, if using, and scatter it around and over the meat. Place lid on pan or cover the meat with a sheet of aluminum foil. Return the pan to the oven for 60 minutes.

Baste the meat with the liquid in the pan. Add carrots or other vegetables to the pan. Cover and return to the oven until the meat is fork tender, about 60 minutes. 

Pan juices for gravy.

Carrots on the side.

Remove the vegetables from the pan to a serving bowl. 

Place the meat on a cutting board and allow it to stand 10 minutes before slicing.

The pan juices with onions can be reheated and served alongside the meat or the onions strained out and the liquid thickened with flour or cornstarch. If not serving immediately, cool the meat in the cooking liquid and refrigerate it.

More recipes for braised or stewed beef:

Spiced Shredded Beef.

Pot-Roasted Beef Flank.

Beef Stew with Artichokes.

Rustic Beef Stew with Sausages.

Slow-Cooked Beef Shanks.

Oven-Braised Beef Cheeks in Red Wine.

"All-Together" Beef Stew with Vegetables.

Braised Ox-Tail.

A TASTE OF VENEZUELA

 

Empanadas fresh from the frying pan.

The Spanish being spoken at a recent gathering at my house did not have the typical Andalusian accent, but a decided Venezuelan twang. Juana and Jorge, my fellow in-laws—their daughter is married to my son—who are from Venezuela, spent a couple months with me, a home base while they travelled around, getting to know Spain. They hosted an empanada party for mutual friends. My kitchen was Juana’s staging area for empanada making.

Empanadas are a favorite food in Venezuela as they are in Spain. They are made at home and served for breakfast or bought from street stalls for afternoon snacking. The biggest difference between Venezuelan and Spanish empanadas is that the Venezuelan ones are made with a cornmeal dough, while Spanish empanadas are made of wheat flour.

Juana mixes empanada dough.

Here’s what you need for Venezuelan empanadas:

• Pre-cooked white corn meal, harina de maíz blanco precocida, also known as masa arepa. This flour is gluten-free. The best-known brand is P.A.N., available world-wide—check the Hispanic section of your grocery store, in Spain as well as U.S.  (Pre-cooked corn meal is not the same as Mexican masa harina, nixtamalized cornmeal that is used to make corn tortillas.) 

• Filling for the empanadas, such as carne mechada (shredded beef, directions follow), grated cheese, cooked chicken, pork, fish, beans, etc.

• Vegetable oil for frying the empanadas. Corn oil is preferred (we could not find it locally), but sunflower (girasol) can be used.

• Accompaniments: guasacaca, a tangy avocado salsa (recipe below) for dipping and hot sauce (Venezuelan hot sauce is an interesting blend of chiles, herbs and suero, buttermilk). 

Venezuelan-Style Corn Meal Empanadas

Empanadas Venezolanas

For the empanada dough:

Makes 10 (6-inch) empanadas

1 cup water

¼ teaspoon sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup pre-cooked corn meal

For shaping, filling and frying the empanadas:

For patting out the dough, you will need heavy-duty plastic wrap or a clean plastic bag cut open to make a flat piece about 12-inches square. 

Oil for shaping the empanadas

2 cups carne mechada (shredded beef)

Grated cheese (optional)

Oil for frying

Guasacaca (avocado sauce) to serve the empanadas

Place the water in a mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar and salt until they are dissolved. Stir in the corn meal and beat it until the mixture is smooth and without lumps. Knead the dough in the bowl for 3 minutes. It will be very soft. Let the dough rest 5 minutes or up to 1 hour, covered with a damp cloth. 

Pat soft dough into circle.

When ready to shape the empanadas, wet hands with water and divide the dough into 8 pieces, each about 3.2 ounces. Spread a square of plastic on the work surface. Have ready about 2 cups of carne mechada, cheese or other chosen filling. 

Place 2-3 tablespoons of oil in a shallow bowl. Oil hands lightly. Take up a piece of dough. Dip one edge of the dough into the oil, Squeeze the dough to eliminate any air bubbles and roll it smoothly into a ball. Place the ball on the work surface. With the flat of the hand, pat it into a circle about 6 inches in diameter. 

Fold dough over filling.

Use a fork to mound carne mechada on one half of the dough. Using the plastic, lift the bottom edge of the circle and fold it all the way over to meet the top edge.

Pinch off excess dough.

Still using the plastic, with the fingertips press the edges of the dough together to seal them. Extra dough will be extruded around the edges. Gather it up and return it to the bowl. 

With the help of the plastic, lift the empanada off the work surface and, with an oiled finger, smooth the edges to enclose the filling. Place the empanada on another square of plastic until ready to fry. When all the pieces of dough have been used, gather the scraps and use them to make 2 or 3 additional empanadas. 

Fry empanadas in vegetable oil.

Continue patting out rounds of dough and filling them. When using a different filling, such as cheese, mark those empanadas with a thumbprint to distinguish them from the meat-filled ones. Cover the empanadas with a damp cloth.

Place oil in a skillet to a depth of 2 ½ inches (enough to just cover the empanadas). Heat it to 360ºF. Drop a small ball of the dough into the oil. The oil is hot enough when the ball bobs to the surface. Fry the empanadas a few at a time, turning them once, until they are golden-brown. Remove and drain on paper towelling. Any dough still remaining can be rolled into small balls and fried until golden. 

Serve the empanadas hot or room temperature with paper towels or grease-proof paper for wrapping them. Let guests wrap their empanadas. Serve with guasacaca for dipping.  Leftover empanadas can be stored, refrigerated, and reheated in a hot oven or in an air fryer.

Spiced Shredded Beef Filling

Carne Mechada 

Shredded beef is mixed with spicy sofrito, ready for filling empanadas. 

Carne mechada, spiced shredded beef, is used as filling for fried empanadas and for arepas, which are made of a similar dough and cooked on a griddle instead of fried. The shredded beef also centers the Venezuelan national dish, pabellón, with black beans and fried plantains.  

The beef is cooked first then combined with sofrito. You can spice up the sofrito as much as you like. The sofrito can also be used with cooked beans for a vegetarian filling for empanadas.

To make the beef filling, you need cooked and shredded beef. In Venezuela, this is usually flank steak that is simmered with onions and other aromatics until fork-tender. The cooking liquid, a well-flavored stock, gets incorporated in the sauced meat. You can use any cooked beef that is tender enough to shred or pull apart with forks. Leftover brisket or pot roasted chuck is fine. 

Pull cooked beef into shreds.

8 ounces fork-tender cooked beef flank 

1 ½ cups coarsely chopped onions

1 ½ cups coarsely chopped red bell pepper

1 cup coarsely chopped green peppers

1 red chile (optional), stem and seeds removed

3 cloves garlic

3 tablespoons olive oil 

1 tablespoon pimentón (paprika, not smoked)

1 pound tomatoes (2 ¾ cups coarsely chopped)

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon oregano

1 cup beef or chicken stock

Use fingers or forks to separate the meat fibers. You should have about 2 cups of shredded beef.

Make the sofrito rojo. Place onions, red and green peppers, chile if using, and garlic in a food processor bowl. Process until they are finely chopped. Scrape into a bowl. Add the cut-up tomatoes to the processor and chop them.

Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the onion-pepper mixture 5 minutes. Stir in the pimentón and fry 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, salt, cumin and oregano. Simmer the sofrito, stirring frequently, until tomatoes are reduced, 15 minutes. 

You will have about 2 cups of sofrito of which 1 cup is needed for the shredded beef. (Store remainder in refrigerator or freezer for another use.) 

Add 2 cups of shredded beef to 1 cup of sofrito. Stir to mix well. Stir in enough stock to make a loose mixture (½ to 1 cup of the stock). Cook on medium until liquid is reduced and meat sauce is thick. The shredded beef is now ready for filling empanadas.

Tangy Avocado Salsa

Guasacaca

Guasacaca is a tangy avocado salsa for dipping empanadas. 

This might replace guacamole in your repertoire. Vinegar gives it tang without masking the avocado flavor. It’s juicier than guacamole. Serve the salsa with grilled steak or chicken, with arepas, empanadas and tostones (fried plantains). Or as a party dip with corn chips for dipping. The salsa can be prepared in advance and refrigerated. 

Use 2 large avocados or 3 smaller ones. They should be ripe but firm. Grind one avocado with the other ingredients. Chop and add the second avocado after the mixture has been finely chopped in blender or food processor. 

2-3 avocados

1 small onion, chopped

1 firm tomato, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 jalapeño chile, chopped

¼ cup white vinegar

½ cup olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Chopped cilantro

Cut one of the avocados into pieces and place in a deep bowl (or food processor) with the onion, tomato, two kinds of bell pepper, jalapeño and vinegar. Use an immersion blender to blend the ingredients until fairly smooth. Chop the remaining avocado and add to the mixture. Stir in the oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the cilantro. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve. Garnish with additional chopped cilantro.

The Spanish way with (savory) empanadas

Galician Empanada with Pork Loin.

Salamanca Empanada with Sausage (Hornazo).

Tuna-Olive Turnovers.

Empanadillas with Spinach.

Sephardic Turnovers (Burekas.)

Empanada of Tuna with Tomato.