My Spanish-style omelette/tortilla

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Sometimes dinnertime creeps up on me, and I suddenly realise that I have *no clue* what I’m going to be making! In my book that makes it a clear-out-the-fridge-day, and this is the perfect recipe to do a sweep of your  fridge, and use up all those bits lurking in drawers and bags..

Today I spotted some left-over new potatoes and then had a look in the fridge –  found Chorizo, bacon and mushrooms, and this easy dinner took off from there. As is usual with my ‘clear out the fridge’ recipes, I’m leaving the strict choice of ingredients to you, but here’s what I made..

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EQUIPMENT:

  • A large frying pan
  • a grill

INGREDIENTS:

  • About 50g of Chorizo sausage, chopped
  • 4-6 slices of streaky bacon, chopped
  • a red onion, finely chopped
  • a few ( I had 4) mushrooms, finely chopped
  • sprigs of fresh thyme
  • some cold, leftover potatoes, cut into cubes
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons of cream
  • a good handful of grated Cheddar cheese

METHOD: This feeds about 4 adults..

  • Heat the pan until it’s very hot, then add the chorizo and bacon.

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  • Cook it, stirring to break up the pieces of bacon, until the fat runs and the bacon and Chorizo starts to crisp up
  • Reduce the heat a little then add the onion and mushroom, and cook until they soften.
  • Add the potato, and stir in gently. Allow to heat through.

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  • Beat the eggs and cream together,  add half the cheese and mix in.

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  • Tidy up the contents of the frying pan – scrap any bits down from the sides of the pan.
  • Pour the egg mixture evenly over the contents of the pan

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  • Then just leave it for about 10 minutes at a medium heat, until the bottom of the egg has cooked when you have a look. The top of the egg should not be cooked at this stage.
  • Heat your grill to high.

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  • Sprinkle over the last of the cheese, and place the pan under the grill ( my pan was about 4inches away from the heat)
  • It will take between 7-10 minutes for the omelette to puff up and brown on top ( I used this time to throw a green salad together)

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  • Remove from the heat, use a flat-bladed knife to cut the Omelette into portions (try not to scrape the bottom of your non-stick pan)
  • Serve immediately (it won’t stay puffed up, by the way) with a green salad.

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  • Pat yourself on the back for being economical and not contributing to the world’s waste food mountain!

NOTES:

  • Try not to over-cook it, as eggs become rather tough if cooked for too long; less is definitely more. It will continue to cook even after you’ve removed it from the heat.
  • I think it’s important to let the chorizo and bacon get really crispy, as it adds to the finished dish
  • As I said, pick your own veggies – peppers, sweetcorn, you name it..
  • Of course you can leave the meats out for a vegetarian version – to improve the flavours, I’d let the onions caramelise, and add some fresh herbs towards the end if you can.
  • If you have any left over, it’s a great standby for picnics, or lunches.
About

I started writing down recipes in an old copybook when I was about 16. With 6 children at home, my Mother was always glad of a hand in the kitchen, and really allowed us to experiment - as long as we washed up afterwards, and left the kitchen immaculate! Having a tidy kitchen has followed me through my life, as has the habit of writing down my favourite recipes; except that these days I write them for my website, and add photographs when I can. The website really started when it occurred to me that my daughter might like to have these recipes when I've forgotten them. In my early days of cooking for family and friends, I used to phone my Mum all the time to ask her for the recipe for some of our favourite family dinners. She rarely had a recipe to hand - I think, like me, she made a lot of it up as she went along.. So welcome to Eating for Ireland - these are the recipes that my friends and family having been eating these past 40 years.. yes, I truly am ancient! They are tried and tested, and have worked for me for all that time - I have updated them as new ingredients became available - I really hope you'll find something that you can make into a family favourite of your own. You don't have to tell anyone where you found these great new dishes that you're serving up - it can be our little secret, but I'd really love it if you could give me a sneaky 'follow' on Facebook and Instagram.. So off you go - have a good rummage around, you're bound to find something new! My sincere thanks to all of you who have found a recipe that you liked and dropped me a line to tell me - I really do love to hear from you! Happy Cooking! Becks xx

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