Hi Everyone! Thanks for letting me back in your inbox!
Before I get to the recipe,
I have news to internet-yell at you, MY BOOK IS AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER! Wild, I know. I’ve been working on this cookbook since fall 2020, back in what felt like an entirely different world, so it’s hard to believe that all those sleepless nights, scribbles, and sketches actually came together into a book.
It’s called Start Here: Instructions for Becoming a Better Cook, and it’s packed with over 200 recipes (all tested by my favorite person, Ham, and the great, Ali Slagle), over 800 photos (by the fabulous Laura Murray), and so many illustrations (by the very talented Aly MIller).
Even though there are a ton of recipes, what I hope you take away from the book are the lessons. My goal was to cram a full four years of culinary school into just over 600 pages. Each of the 12 chapters is focused on a technique, like tasting, temperature management, or cooking with dry heat. At the beginning of each chapter, we deep dive into the technique talking all things science, equipment, culture, and history. Then the recipes that follow help you practice and further understand the technique. The chapters and recipes go in order of difficulty, so if you work your way through the whole book, you can seriously level up your kitchen game.
I can’t wait to share more about the book, which will be out October 31st! Here’s an interview with Time if you want to know more. I know it’s a long ways away, so if you choose to preorder, hold tight to your receipt. I’ll have some bonus content coming to everyone who preorders! (Preorders really help with production in complicated ways I don’t fully understand, so I and everyone working on the book seriously appreciate them.) As for ordering the book in other markets, I don’t know if/when it will be available, but will keep you all posted.
Preorder in the US
Preorder in the UK
Preorder in Canada
Now, let’s tapa!
I mentioned in the last newsletter how I’ve been loving Jose Andres and Family in Spain. It’s a travel show on Discover+ where Jose Andres and his daughters eat their way through the country, washing all the croquetas, cave-aged cheese, and conservas down with bottles of cider. Watching the show makes me want to go to Barcelona, easily one of my favorite places besides NYC. But what’s easier than hopping on a flight across the Atlantic? Throwing an epic tapas party right at home!
Anything with a tapas vibe is my favorite way to entertain. The food is best at room temperature, so you can make everything before your guests arrive. All the dishes are graze-able, so folks can filter in and out as they please. And most important, much of the food is store-bought and dressed up with herbs, olive oil, and good paprika. Our pantry is always stocked with various tinned fish, so all we need is a fresh loaf of bread, and boom, it’s party time.
Although you could throw a stellar tapas party without buying a thing (newsletter with all the details on that coming soon), I always make a few dishes just to put my own stamp on the meal. Since it’s almost spring (although it really doesn’t feel like it in NY), over the next couple of weeks, I’m going to share my springy twist on some Spanish classics, kicking things off with a Mean Green Spanish Tortilla.
The classic Spanish tortilla is a thick omelet filled with eggs and onions. What makes it unique from any old frittata is that the potato and onion slices are first fully submerged in olive oil and slowly cooked. They practically confit, becoming creamy, luscious, and infused with the grassy flavor of the oil. They are then folded into beaten eggs and cooked together in a skillet.
Some recipes for tortilla skip this step and boil the potatoes instead, which I argue isn’t a tortilla at all. Just ask yourself, would Jose Andres do that? Definitely not. Don’t let all that oil intimidate you. Because the potatoes and onions are cooked at a lower heat, you can reuse the strained oil for future tortilla making or low-temperature cooking, like sweating vegetables for a braise or soup. If you want to keep things traditional, try my recipe for a Classic Spanish Tortilla.
For my extra springy Mean Green Spanish Tortilla, I take a cue from kuku sabzi, an herby Persian omelet. The eggs are blended with loads of fresh dill and parsley before olive oil-poached potatoes, peas, and green onions are folded into it and cooked together. If you don’t have dill and parsley, you can use any combination of tender herbs or greens, like watercress, spinach, cilantro, or arugula.
Serve it hot, cold, or at room temperature with a dollop of creamy aioli or labne alongside. It can be part of a big tapas spread or make a meal out of it alone with a piece of crusty bread. I like to have this in the fridge at all times for a quick snack any time of day.
Mean Green Spanish Tortilla
Serve 3 to 4 | active time: 45 minutes | total time: 45 minutes
This recipe is cooked in a small skillet for a tapas-sized portion. If you want to make a meal out of it, double the recipe and cook in a medium (10-inch skillet) instead.
INGREDIENTS
6 scallions
3 medium (about 300 grams) Yukon gold, creamer, or butterball potatoes
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
½ cup fresh or frozen peas
5 large eggs
¾ cup dill leaves & tender stems, lightly packed
¾ cup parsley leaves & tender stems, lightly packed
aioli or labne to serve
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