Liddie's Traditional New Mexican Dishes: Torta Española - Los Alamos Daily Post

Click to view the steps for preparing Torta Española. Video by Liddie Martinez

By LIDDIE MARTINEZ
Española Valley

Tortilla Española is Spain’s National Dish. When it comes right down to it, a Tortilla Española is a simple potato omelet. This dish was first made in Spain after their discovery of both the Incas and the Aztecs.  The Incas were already cultivating potatoes among other produce on their terraced gardens in the early 1500s and the word “tortilla” comes from the word “torta” which means cake and is the word the Spanish gave to the flat bread made from corn that they encountered upon meeting the Aztecs a little later in the 16^th century.

While there are many ways to execute this dish to include the Italian frittata, the American scramble or the French folded version, my favorite is to layer and bake in the oven for a sliceable version that is pleasing to both the eye and the palate. It also gives you the opportunity to plate with sauces and reductions as flavor enhancers of varying textures giving the dish a versatility that is near endless.

For me, this is a great alternative to our traditional Torta de Huevo, the meatless red chile and egg fritter combo that is so delicious, we often serve it outside the traditional Lenten period. With Lent upon us, I thought I would show you how to prepare a meatless green chile with a flavor composition that rivals the traditional red dish when using the right ingredients.

For this dish I choose the chile padaso (dehydrated roasted green chile) and sun-dried tomato combination because drying or dehydrating intensifies the flavor. It also highlights the sweetness of the tomato, which helps to mellow the green chile heat a bit. Remember that chile pasado is a pre-Columbian dish native to our region and used by then Aztecs while out hunting. The light weight pods could easily be reconstituted to make a campfire stew with any game meat available.

For this dish I allow the green chile to simmer until reduced by half further intensifying the flavor. Let’s face it, plain potato and egg can be a little boring, but this reduction elevates it to its proper place for a National Dish title.

Torta Española can also be modified to layer the green chile strips between the potatoes prior to baking; however, I rarely prepare it this way since many of my meals include guests that are very young or a bit older with stomachs that can no longer attempt spicy food. Serving the chile reduction on the side allows everyone the choice of adding as much chile as they would like or none at all. Remember that you can also add a variety or two of grated cheese when layering the dish before baking if you wish.

A couple of short cuts to consider:

• Make the chile pasado a day ahead and allow it to sit in the fridge overnight. The flavors benefit from chilling together for a time and it’s easy to heat up when you are ready to serve.
• Use leftover baked potatoes. All you will need to do is slice them but you will still need to sauté the onions before layering the dish. I always make the baked potatoes the night before when I am expecting guests for breakfast. It makes this a super-fast and impressive morning meal without any of the fuss.

Chile Pasado

• 6 ounces Chile Pasado
• 3 ounces Sundried Tomatoes
• 1 quarter Onion
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 3 Tbsps. Olive Oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Boiling Water

Put a kettle of water to boil, meanwhile, break the chile and tomatoes into small bite sized pieces. Place in small bowls and cover with boiling water when kettle whistles. Allow to steep undisturbed.

Dice the onion and chop or thinly slice the garlic. In a cast iron skillet over medium high flame, heat the olive oil then add onions and sauté until transparent. Add the garlic and stir. When you can smell the aroma of the garlic add both the chile and the tomatoes in their water plus one-half cup of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and season with salt and pepper.

Allow the chile to boil down until it has reduced by half and almost all the water has evaporated. Remove from heat.

Torta Española

• 3 Potatoes, peeled, halved and sliced thinly
• 1 quarter Onion, sliced
• 6 Eggs
• ½ Cup Cream
• 3 Tbsps. Olive Oil
• 3 Tsps. Butter
• ½ Cup Flat Parsley, chopped
• Salt
• Pepper

Butter a pie plate or baking dish and set aside. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add potato and onion slices. Season with salt and pepper and cover to cook, stirring gently on occasion. Be careful not to break the potato slices. Cook until tender. Remove from heat and lift lid to cool. Preheat oven to 350°. 

In a bowl whisk eggs, cream, and seasoning until frothy. Layer the cooled potatoes and onions in the buttered dish and pour egg mixture over potatoes. Sprinkle with parsley and bake for 35 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before serving on a ladle of green chile pasado.

Torta Española. Photo by Liddie Martinez

Editors note: Liddie Martinez is the author of the highly popular Chile Line Cookbook: Historic Recipes of Northern New Mexico, which is available online at www.pajaritopress.com.

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Liddie's Traditional New Mexican Dishes: Torta Española - Los Alamos Daily Post
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