Lenguajero Blog

As my quest for Spanish fluency continues, I’ve discovered that my Spanish learning can benefit from one of my hobbies.  I think that James Beard really said it best when he stated, “Food is our common ground, a universal experience.“  Food, in many cultures, is at the core of life.  It creates an environment in which to enjoy company, relax, and really feel that you are a part of the culture.  After doing some reading online about Spanish bars and the infamous “tapa” appetizer, I decided to try and conquer one of the recipes and taste Tortilla Española for myself.

I went in search of a recipe in Spanish that I could attempt to prepare and came across a wonderful little blog that is full of interesting recetas (recipes).  El Microverso has an excellent and easy instructional YouTube video to prepare tortilla de patatas. The ingredients for this recipe are in any supermarket.  You simply need potatoes, eggs, an onion, olive oil, and salt.  I like this video because it’s suitable for all levels of Spanish learner and there is no tricky measuring of ingredients.  The video is set to music and there is text explaining the ingredients and cooking process.  Below I’ll walk you through this delicious Spanish lesson.

1. First, I watched the video all the way through so there were no surprises. I made sure that I understood each of the verbs that were used in the video.  What I like is that this video demonstrates the action rather than giving you the English translation.  Learning this way mimics the way a child would learn to do something and is an effective way of learning a language.
2. After I had watched the entire video I then read some of the tips below the video.  These answer a lot of questions about the quantity of ingredients, use of the oil, and how to turn the tortilla.
3. Next, it was time to dive in and either succeed or fail.  I used to be notorious for botching almost every recipe imaginable. Since then my skills have improved but the insecure feeling was present when I started cooking.  I sliced the potatoes as in the video, tearfully sliced the onion, and added them both to the heated oil in the skillet with a dash of salt.  I stirred the potatoes and onions in the skillet with the olive oil until they had reached the same color as the potatoes in the video.
4. While the potatoes and onions were cooking in the oil I cracked the eggs into a large bowl and scrambled them.  When the potatoes and onions were done I added them to the bowl of eggs.  It’s important after this step to add more oil to the skillet and assure that the oil is hot before adding the egg, potato and onion mixture.
5. Add the mixture to the skillet and wait for the eggs to brown.  You can lift up slightly underneath the tortilla to check the color.  When you think the tortilla has achieved the right consistency and color place a plate over the top of the skillet and then flip the tortilla onto the plate.  Quickly add a bit more olive oil to the skillet and slide the tortilla, raw side down, into the skillet once again to cook the other side.  When the other side has achieved the same look as the previous side, use the plate once again to flip the tortilla out of the skillet.  Then enjoy!

The finished product is pictured above. This tortilla de patata could easily feed four people so I encourage you to check out the recipes at the El Microverso blog and see what interesting things you can create to share with others!  It’s an excellent way to bring you one step closer to the culture while learning Spanish.

If you have any interesting recipes or tips you’d like to share please share them in the comments!

Leah Budke is a college student currently working on obtaining bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and Art Education at Fort Hays State University.  She has always had an interest in languages and cultures and is continually expanding her knowledge of other ways of life.  She has studied abroad in Italy and is planning to feed her travel bug by studying abroad in Spain.  In addition to learning languages, studying cultures and traveling, Leah is passionate about human rights issues, environmental issues and animal rights.  You can read more of her writings on her blog:  www.futureexpat.wordpress.com.