Afternoon Pintxos: Bar Ledesma

Walking back towards the hotel I turned onto a popular pedestrian side street filled with bars and cafes and people. The sign out front advertised meatballs, and hake ( a popular local fish served with parsley sauce). Maybe it's time for something not on a slice of bread, I thought.
It was not to be. At nearly 5 pm the kitchen was still closed and only cold pintxos (some warmed in a microwave upon request) dishes were being offered. Dinner starts late here in Spain. Restaurants open at 8 or 8:30 pm so there'd be no reason to have a cook on much earlier I reasoned as I pointed towards a wedge of tortilla on a slice of bread, sticking with localtradition.

Spanish tortilla, not at all like the familiar Mexican version is not a bread but a thick type of open-faced omelette (really more like a skillet baked egg cake -- no flour) usually filled with potatoes, but chorizo, peppers, mushrooms and more are often found. Whatever the filling the dish is a Spanish constant. At every bar, every restaurant, every home, every meal, every snack -- tortillas are offered and taken. Customers debate where to find the best.

Basically thinly sliced potatoes (try 3-4 medium) and a medium onion (also sliced) are sautéed (some cooks dice the potatoes which to me is not as nice a texture) without browning in a good quantity of olive oil until softened. The potatoes, without the excess oil, are added to beaten eggs (maybe 6 for an 8 to 10 inch non stick pan) and the whole mixture is added back to the skillet -- freshly slicked with olive oil -- over medium heat. As the edges just start to firm the heat is reduced to medium low for about 5 minutes to insure a creamy texture. Turning this egg masterpiece takes practice. In Spanish style the entire cake (the top s likely still runny) is slid off to a plate, inverted onto a second plate, and coaxed back into the frying pan -- again coated with olive oil. Tortillas can be eaten warm but most often are served at room temperature. An all day snack.