Tortilla Espanola

I first had this dish in Spanish class in High School. If I recall correctly, my Spanish Teacher was from Germany, but had lived or spent a fair amount of time in Spain, and she used to bring this simple, tasty dish in for us as a treat once a year or so. It seems to be a staple on tapas menus.

You need:

2 yellow onions, diced
6 large boiling potatoes, chopped in 1/3-inch dice
10 eggs
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Paprika and/or chopped parsley for garnish

To make it:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  
• Saute yellow onions in olive oil and potatoes until vegetables are soft but not browned
  
• Let remove from heat, transfer to bowl, and let cool for 5 minutes
  
• Beat eggs lightly as if making scrambled eggs, then add them to cooled veggies
  
• Return this mixture to an oven-safe saute pan and cook until eggs are half cooked
  
• Level out top of eggs (by pressing potatoes and onions down with a spatula) and bake for 15 minutes
  

Slide onto a plate for serving, and sprinkle lightly with paprika and/or chopped parsely. You cut this and serve it in wedges like a pie. It can be served warm or room temperature and makes a great lunch or light dinner with a salad on the side.

Migas (Scrambled eggs with salsa and cheese)

My first introduction to eggs with salsa were some Migas a friend/coworker made late at night when we were hanging out at her place. These are not fancy restaurant food (migas means crumbs) but they're downright tasty.

You'll Need:

1 package of fresh corn tortillas
Butter
2 eggs per person
1 jar of salsa or Rotel tomatoes and chilies
1 package shredded mixed Mexican cheese

Make the Migas:

• Melt some butter in a pan
• Chop up one tortilla per person, in large pieces
• Cook the tortilla in the butter until crispy
• Beat two eggs per person and add salsa/Rotel, cheese, salt and pepper
• Add the eggs to the butter and tortilla chips and cook like scrambled eggs
• Serve

You can serve potatoes on the side for a great late night or breakfast meal.

Egg Patties with Tomato Sauce

These first appeared as Fay's Egg Patties as a reader-submitted recipe in Gourmet magazine. The original recipe included a homemade tomato sauce component, which I've removed, since I find it unnecessary. I've got suggestions for sauce.

Now, let me just say that prior to moving to Texas, I didn't put tomato products on my eggs. I was never the type to eat scrambled eggs with ketchup, for example. When first faced with the prospect of breakfast tacos with salsa, I honestly thought the concept was appalling. It turns out they were really good, and I was hooked. I still had some trouble making the leap to putting spaghetti sauce on egg patties, but trust me, these are worth trying.

You Need:

1/2 cup dry plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan (3 1/2 oz.)
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1 small garlic clove, minced
6 large eggs, beaten
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 can of Italian seasoned tomatoes and onions (You can find these at Central Market, Whole Foods, and that type of store, or possibly your regular grocery store if it doesn't suck.)

The Plan:

• Stir together bread crumbs, parmesan, parsley, and garlic, then stir in eggs and salt and pepper to taste.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking.
• Working batches, drop rounded tablespoons of egg mixture into skillet.
• Cook patties until golden and puffed, about 2 minutes on each side.
• Transfer to paper towels to drain and add oil to skillet as needed.
• Add canned seasoned tomatoes/onions to cleaned skillet.
• Add patties and simmer, turning once, 7 minutes total.

You would not normally think of freezing eggs, probably, but you can get these cooked to the pre-tomato sauce stage, throw them in a zip lock bag, and keep them in the freezer. Then, just thaw and finish cooking in the sauce.