Cooking Lessons with Pepita
My 88-year old neighbor teaches me local Andalucian recipes
Previously I’ve written about my lovely 88-year old neighbor Pepita, who, in true abuela fashion, has taken it upon herself to show me typical Andalucian recipes.
We were chatting one day towards the end of summer and she asked me how I made my tortilla de patatas.
I loved this question because it highlights a common Andalucian topic of conversation - explaining step by step how you make your dishes. Recipes here aren’t shared on food blogs, no, recipes are shared boca a boca, and with a contagious passion that, if you’re not familiar with the culture here, might sound like someone is yelling at you but the person is in fact just super excited to tell you about their recipe.
If your family is a family of cocineros, then no doubt they have their own recipe for each typical Andalucian plate: tortilla de patatas, puchero, gazpacho, lentejas…to name a few!
Anyway, Pepita asked me how I made my tortilla de patatas and as I started to explain how I cut the potatoes in cubes she cuts me off, “Te voy a enseñar mi receta de tortilla, cuando no hace este calor (I’m going to show you how I make my tortilla de patatas, when the weather is better).”
Pepita has come through on her promise, and then some, as the entire last week she has been in my kitchen every day of the week to show me a new recipe. Each day as she walks out my front door she lists off a new set of ingredients to buy for the next day’s recipe.
Who doesn’t love authentic cooking lessons from a woman who has spent her whole life cooking traditional recipes, that she in fact learned from her mother, who learned it from her mother…
I asked Pepita as we cut the potatoes, “When was the first time you made tortilla de patatas?”
She smiles quietly to herself, “Oh, 5 or 6 years old, with my mom. She got me a chair and I helped her cut the potatoes.”
For those of you so inclined….I shall break the Andalucian golden rule and share the recipe below, but keep in mind the recipe is best explained face-to-face over a caña in the beautiful streets of Sevilla, soaking up the Spanish sun.
Tortilla de Patatas Recipe
5-6 eggs
2-3 potatoes
1 onion
Olive oil (lots!)
Cut up the potatoes in fine slices (I previously cut them in cubes, so this is up to your preference). Slice the onions. Fry them in olive oil until tender and slightly browning. Remove potatoes and onions, beat eggs in a separate bowl, then mix in with the potatoes and onions (a big bowl is recommended). Then pour the mixture into the same pan that you fried the potatoes and onions in (without the olive oil, save that in a glass jar for the next tortilla de patatas). Cook on one side until browning, then take a giant plate and “flip” the tortilla onto the plate, and gently guide the tortilla back into the pan so you can cook the other side. Cook until ready, serve and slice like a pie!