Friday, February 4, 2011

FFwD: Basque Tortilla

This week's French Fridays with Dorie recipe was the Basque Potato Tortilla.  I was whipping up a quick lunch today and didn't have time to run to the store, which is why you won't see the word "potato" up there in the title of this post!  Instead, I decided to use up some other veggies in the fridge that really needed to be cooked before they went bad. 


I sauteed some thinly sliced onion, garlic, and diced fennel in oil until soft and pretty darn browned (I like my onions really dark!), and then combined that with some eggs, smoked paprika, and cilantro.  (Side note: why do they sell cilantro in such large quantities?  I'm never able to use it all up!)  This all got poured back into the pan, cooked on the stovetop for a few minutes, and then popped in a 350 degree oven until the egg was cooked through.   I wasn't sure about the combination of fennel and cilantro - it was more a marriage of convenience than of "wow, these would sure taste amazing together!", but actually it worked well.  The flavors didn't clash, and the cilantro added a nice pop of green to an otherwise monochromatic dish.

Overall, I was pretty happy with this as a quick lunch, but it didn't blow me away.  I'll have to try it with the real deal of potatoes sometime and see if that changes things!

11 comments:

  1. Oh yum! The green in there is beautiful and it sounds delicious! :)

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  2. Yours looks yummy! I agree with your sidenote on cilantro. I'm never able to use it all before it goes bad.

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  3. Diced fennel...what a different addition! I, too, will have to try the potato version because I only had mushrooms on hand.

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  4. I had the same thought as Jessica...the pop of green is such a lovely touch. I made the potato version which my hubby loved, but I'm thinking I'd prefer mushrooms, garlic and thyme...so many options!

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  5. This dish needed some color - so the cilantro was a good thought. I think this would have been great with mushrooms instead of potatoes (the potatoes could have stayed on the side as home fries!)

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  6. Quick easy and tasty is what this recipe is! I like the idea of using cilantro! I would have added salsa too if I used that yummy spice!! Your pictures look great!

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  7. I agree with you that cilantro is sold in bunches that are too large to use up all at once. I've started putting the extra cilantro in the freezer. Like parsley, chop it up and freeze it in ice cube trays with a little water.It turns sort of brown, but it works fine in soups and recipes that don't call for fresh cilantro.

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  8. I love eating a eggy-veggie combo for lunch. Somehow it seems so satisfying. Paring fennel and cilantro sounds intriguing.
    By the way I just made an really tasty recipe that used an entire bunch of cilantro. I'll post it soon. Maybe it will help use up some of those leftovers;)
    -E

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  9. This looks so delicious, I wish I had a slice for my breakfast!

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  10. I like the color of this one. Very nice and it made it more appetizing.

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  11. I think the cilantro must have made it more flavorful than how came out!

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